The Sparrow and the Storm
by FlightoftheStorm777
Summary: Ginny Stormmare knew who he was. The boy from her dark past was now a man. And he didn't remember her. Follows COTBP with my added character. JackXOC. Rated T for language and mentions of rape. I don't own Pirates. Only my OC and her plot. Part 1 in the Jack/Ginny series.
1. Chapter 1

**_The Nightmares of Days Long Gone_**

_"__No, Mom, please! Come back to me!" she sobbed. She cradled her dead mother's limp hand with her own, unable to control her sobs. She shook with violent grief. Her family was ripped apart. Her aunt and uncle… Dead. Her brothers and sisters… Missing. Her father… Gone. Her mother… Dead. And him… Gone. Her whole life was gone. She looked at the pendant in her palm. It was beautiful. A family heirloom, passed down, generation by generation. Never to the firstborn, but to the youngest. And now it was hers. She closed her fingers around the sapphire pendant. She stuffed it down the front of her dress and stood up. She wasn't safe here. She couldn't let her mother's death be in vain. So with one last look at the blood-spattered room, and her deceased mother, she left. She stumbled outside. The sudden brightness of the sun blinded her. The acrid smell of smoke clogged her lungs. She opened her eyes. The barn was in flames. She stared around in horror at the wasteland that used to be her home. Bloodstains littered the grass and dirt. A brilliant pyre consumed the barn. Her world was, quite literally, falling apart. This place, where she'd played and cried, learned and taught, was nothing more than bloody ashes. It was a place of ruins now. It was no longer home. _

_And then her eyes rested upon the figures before her. Her siblings. They weren't gone. They were captured. Frozen, Ginny watched as the men who'd attacked her home, her family, bound her siblings. Bags were thrown over her siblings' heads. Before they reached her third brother, he looked at her. His lips moved silently, with one message: run. She froze. She couldn't run. What would that make her? What kind of monster would she be, if she turned and fled? But she couldn't help her siblings if she was captured. She turned away, to make it for the woods. Isn't that what she'd been taught? To protect her family? Hadn't he shown her how? Hadn't they taught her to care for herself, her family? She felt her feet carry her, one by one, away from the burning barn, away from the house, away from the farm. She picked up the pace, heading toward the forest. But she never made it. Pain split through the back of her head as the man's staff whacked her, knocking her to the ground. She lay face-down in the dirt, dazed. Strong hands grabbed her and hauled her to her feet. The man half carried, half dragged her to where her siblings were. The man kicked the back of her knees, forcing her to kneel. He tied her hands behind her back. He gripped her golden hair and jerked her head back. She glared at the man before her. His blue eyes pierced hers. His startlingly young face examined hers. He wiped his blade free of blood. His clothes were splattered and stained with blood. Her mother's blood. He had stabbed her mother. He had murdered her. "She comes with me." he said with articulate perfection. Her head was covered with a bag, and everything was flung into darkness. _

_There was a sword… Covered in blood… Beautiful and yet stained with gore… A scream filled her ears, telling her to run, to save herself… _

Ginny sat bolt upright, gasping for breath. She was covered in a sheen of cold sweat. Her breathing slowed as she calmed herself. It was just a nightmare. Just a dream. Just a… Just a memory. A memory of who she used to be, a memory of things long past. She used to be a farm girl. She used to live in the New World, with her family in the colony of Virginia. She was born there. She used to have a big family. Three brothers and three sisters, a father and a mother. She used to have another family, a family who had lived with her for ten years. She used to have a best friend. She used to have everything. They weren't rich with money, but with family and happiness.

Now, she didn't have a mother. Now, she was wealthy. She was of high social class. Many were jealous of her upstanding status. Now, she lived in Port Royal, so very far from her farm in Virginia. She was a stranger, even to herself. She was a shell of a girl she used to know. She had an empty life, filled with formal tea parties and dances. Brunches with women she didn't care about. Many a handsome suitor desired her hand in holy matrimony, but for what purpose? Was she to marry a man she didn't know, for the sake of a title and money? She had lost her fulfilling life of simplicity and farm-working to a life that was void of true meaning. Emptiness for the sake of emptiness.

"Ginny? Are you all right?" asked a young woman. The young woman was beautiful. She stood at the vanity, gazing at Ginny with soft brown eyes through the mirror. Ginny's lips twitched with the slightest hint of a smile. The only meaningful thing in her life now was Elizabeth. Young Miss Swann, a girl of eighteen, was the daughter of Weatherby Swann, the governor of Port Royal. When Ginny had lost everything, she had found herself in many dark places. She'd been starving and digging through the garbage for scraps of food, rinsing her dirty face in the puddles of the London streets when she came across Elizabeth. Back then, Elizabeth was merely nine years old. Elizabeth had recently suffered the loss of her mother, a tragedy Ginny knew well. So the girls had bonded. Before long, Mr. Swann had adopted young Ginny into the family, claiming her as his own. No paperwork or legal processes were made, since Ginny hadn't been rescued from an orphanage. No one knew where Ginny had come from.

Ginny owed Elizabeth her life. When Ginny had lost her will to live, after four and a half years of smuggling aboard ships and trying to survive, Ginny had made it to London, only to find just as awful as anywhere else she'd been. With no friends and no family, Ginny had been ready to give up. What was the point of surviving if she had nothing to live for? But then Elizabeth, who had needed a friend just as much as Ginny did, turned up. Ginny had taken Elizabeth under her wing, and Elizabeth did the same to Ginny. Now, with a life full of emptiness, at least Ginny had Elizabeth to share it with. "I'm fine." Ginny said, faking a smile.

A frown creased Elizabeth's forehead. "You had another one of your nightmares, didn't you?"

Ginny kicked the covers off herself. She let her bare feet touch the cold floor. "Yes." she admitted. She stood and grabbed her robe.

"I thought they had gone away?" Elizabeth questioned.

Ginny shrugged as she wrapped herself with her robe. "Sometimes they come back."

Elizabeth looked down at something in her hands. Curious, Ginny approached her sister. Her eyes widened at the sight of the gold pirate medallion. A skull grinned up Ginny, as if it were laughing at her. "I dreamt about it last night." said Elizabeth quietly.

Ginny stared at it. "What about it?"

"That day we came from England? Do you remember?" said Elizabeth.

Ginny remembered it well. After having lived with the Swanns for a little more than half a year, Ginny had shared Elizabeth's excitement when Mr. Swann received the title of governor of Port Royal. They had packed up and moved to Port Royal, Jamaica. On the way there, they'd come across a shipwreck. A boy named Will Turner was the only survivor. Ginny recalled stealing Will's golden medallion with Elizabeth. Both girls had feared for young William's life. They'd kept the medallion hidden ever since. "Yes, I remember." Ginny whispered.

A sharp knock on the door startled both Ginny and Elizabeth. "Ginny? Elizabeth? Are you girls decent?"

Ginny snatched the medallion away from Elizabeth and put it on while Elizabeth hurriedly shrugged on her robe. "Yes. Yes!" called Elizabeth. Ginny tucked the skull ornament down the front of her nightdress just as Governor Swann entered the room, followed by three maids.

"Ah, still in bed at this hour?" said Governor Swann, a note of amusement touching his tone. One of the maids flung the thick curtains open. Ginny closed her eyes, shielding them from the sudden brightness. She allowed her eyes to adjust before opening them. "It's a beautiful day," said Governor Swann. It was. It was always beautiful in Port Royal. "I have a gift for you both." said Governor Swann, beaming. He gestured to the two maids behind him. They both carried rectangular boxes. Elizabeth opened hers eagerly. Ginny lifted the box of hers a little more gingerly.

"Oh, it's beautiful!" exclaimed Elizabeth, pulling her dress out. It was ivory and gold. Ginny lifted hers. It was ivory and silver. Like day and night. Ginny smiled. She liked hers. It was just like Elizabeth's, only it suited Ginny more. The ivory triangle on the bodice met another patch of ivory fabric. The rest of the dress was silvery blue, with darker silver designs swirling with intricacy. It was elegantly beautiful, a perfect depiction of the sea, of the night, of storms. Mysterious and beautiful. Ginny couldn't help but beam.

"Isn't it?" Governor Swann questioned.

"Might I inquire as to the occasion?" said Elizabeth.

"Does a father need an occasion to dote upon his daughters?" countered Governor Swann. Elizabeth disappeared behind the dressing screen.

"Technically I am not your daughter, though." said Ginny with a smirk.

Governor Swann's eyes darkened. "Not by blood, Ginny. But by bond. Never forget that you are a part of this family."

Ginny smiled. She embraced Governor Swann. He chuckled. Ginny carried her dress over to join Elizabeth behind the dressing room screen. "Actually, I was hoping you both would wear them to the ceremony." said Governor Swann.

"Ceremony?" called Elizabeth. She shot Ginny a glance.

Ginny tried to look busy with getting dressed, which wasn't too difficult as one of the maids began tightening her corset. "Captain Norrington's promotion," said Governor Swann. Ginny poked her head out.

"I knew it!" she declared.

"Commodore Norrington, as he's about to become! He's a fine gentleman, don't you think?" said Governor Swann. Ginny had returned to behind the screen. Ginny and Elizabeth gasped in unison as their corsets were tightened drastically. "Girls? How's it coming?"

"It's…. Difficult to say." said Elizabeth.

"I'm told it's the latest fashion in London." replied Governor Swann.

"Well, women in London must've learned not to breathe!" growled Ginny.

"My lord, you have a visitor." said a butler. Judging by the sound of retreating footsteps, Governor Swann had left the room.

"Captain Norrington fancies you." said Elizabeth, eyeing Ginny.

Ginny frowned. "I know."

"What if he proposes?" said Elizabeth.

Ginny met her sister's gaze. "I don't know."

…

_He picked his way over mounds of bones. They cracked under his boots with sickening splinting noises that grated on his nerves. The pungent pong of smoke filled his lungs with disgusting fog. He looked around, his eyes stinging with tears from the smoke and ashes. His eyes fell upon a girl. She stared at him with wide, dark blue eyes. Her blonde hair hung in waves around her shoulders. Tears ran down her cheeks, staining her face with clean streaks on her dirty, ashy cheeks. She wore a pendant. It was an incredible gem, sapphire encircled with diamonds. It glittered even in the dim lighting. He approached her. "You're too late." sobbed the girl. _

_He stopped in his tracks. "What?" _

_"__You're too late!" cried the girl, raising her voice. _

_"__I don't know what you're talking about." he replied. _

_"__You promised! You promised!" wailed the girl. _

_"__I don't know who you are!" he cried. _

_"__You did, once upon a time." said the girl. It began to rain, softly at first. Then it grew heavier and heavier, until he couldn't see the girl anymore. He was choking on the water, he couldn't breathe… The salty rainwater filled his nostrils… _

Salty?

Captain Jack Sparrow was no fool. Rainwater was not salty. He opened his eyes, only to find that his face was underwater. He sat up frantically, gasping for breath. He spluttered and coughed, shaking the water from his hair and eyes. He looked around. Bugger. His ship, if one could call it a ship, was sinking. It was a dinghy, with a sail. And it was sinking. He got up and climbed the miniature mast to stay out of the water. He looked straight ahead. Port Royal was just barely visible in the distance. He grinned. Soon enough, he'd have a real ship. His grin faltered.

The nightmares that plagued him most nights had returned. For a while, it had seemed that they were gone. Ever since he was sixteen, he'd had recurring nightmares. Always the same: a little girl claiming that he had failed her. The girl seemed familiar, but it was strange, Jack was sure he'd never met her before. And yet, every night, she visited him in his dreams. Forever ten years old, the girl sobbed every night, and Jack had no idea who she was or why she thought he had promised her something. But the nightmares never left.

…

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pirates of the Caribbean, only Ginny Stormmare and the plot elements surrounding her. **

**Hey guys! This is a revision of my story. I'm adding to it and making it longer, and better. I'm improving my writing. So if you're reading this for the first time, I apologize if it's confusing… I suggest waiting until it's completely revised. If you've read it already, then I hope you enjoy the things I add and whatnot. Also, let me know what you think by leaving a review! They always make me smile!**

**-Storm777**


	2. Chapter 2

**_Just Another Face in the Crowd_**

**Author's Note: Warning, there is cussing. I'll keep it to a minimum. But the reality is, Jack is a pirate. The only reason he doesn't cuss in the films is because it's Disney. However, I realize that cursing may offend some of you, so I'll keep it down to a minimum. The only reason I would drop the F bomb in here is if something really drastic happened. So, ye have been warned. **

Ginny and Elizabeth flapped their fans back and forth vehemently. The sun emanated a scorching heat upon them, which didn't help the fact that neither girl could breathe. Ginny's corset constricted her body like a python crushing its prey. Ginny wasn't even paying attention to Captain Norrington. She heard the distinct scrape of metal upon metal, a sword being withdrawn from its sheath. She tensed and looked up, bracing herself. She relaxed when she saw it was only Captain Norrington waving his new sword about. She felt a little foolish for tensing. _They_ didn't know who Ginny Swann was. The likelihood that she would ever come across the men who'd destroyed her family again was very slim. Still, Ginny could never be too cautious. She would live the rest of her life looking over her shoulder. Ginny was okay with that. She had prepared herself. And one day, when the time was right, she would deliver justice to the men who had destroyed her family, her childhood and her life.

Ginny snapped back to reality at the sound of polite applause. Captain Norrington was now Commodore Norrington. Relieved, Ginny made her way to the shade. It only slightly altered her discomfort. Ginny snagged a glass of water from a passing butler's tray. She gulped down the lukewarm water ungracefully, earning her many disapproving stares from the other guests. "Ginny, slow down. You're making a scene." said Elizabeth, joining Ginny.

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "And I care because…?" she said. She caught the eye of a group of stuffy people, who were eyeing her with condemnation. "I can't breathe! Is that all right with all of you?" Ginny snapped at them. The group turned away, muttering quietly to each other, surely about Ginny's poor manners.

"Er, Ginny?" said Elizabeth, a nervous look on her face.

"What?" Ginny snapped.

"May I have a moment?" said a new voice, directly behind Ginny. She tensed and turned. It was James. Ginny nodded and allowed James to lead her away from the party, to the edge of Fort Charles. Ginny placed a hand on her stomach. She felt nauseas now. The world around her was tilting, her eyelids were heavy, her stomach was somersaulting, her heart was pounding and her head was drooping with a weight that hadn't been there earlier. "You look lovely, Ginny," said James. Ginny offered James a hasty smile. She leaned against the stone side of the archway, trying to steady herself. She grimaced as her stomach clenched and filled with weird butterflies. It was a truly unpleasant feeling. "I, uh, apologize if I seem forward, but… I-I must speak my mind," said James, looking out at the bay. Ginny looked, too. It was her favorite place to be, this cliff side. Underneath the fort was a rocky ledge, and Ginny would sneak there just before sunset to watch the sea swallow the sun. Right now, however, Ginny could barely concentrate she was so uncomfortable. "This promotion throws into sharp relief that which I have not yet accomplished," James looked at Ginny suddenly. "A marriage to a fine woman. You have become a fine woman, Ginny."

Ginny met his gaze. Yep, here it was. The proposal. Despite Ginny's initial nervousness and shock, she couldn't respond because she was in trouble now. She was so lightheaded that it was dangerous. "I can't breathe." she stated breathlessly, hoping to get James's attention.

He took it the wrong way. "Yes, I-I'm a bit nervous myself." he said. But Ginny barely noticed. Her eyes rolled back into her head and her knees buckled. She was vaguely aware of falling, and then everything went black.

….

Jack had been entertaining these Royal Navy goons for the past hour. They were too stupid to realize who and what Jack was, but they were smart enough to not let him out of their sight. So, Jack had needed to improvise. He kept them occupied with grand stories of action and adventure, a fantasy Jack was sure everyone shared. He was in the middle of his story about Pelegostos Island, an island full of cannibals. "And then they made me their chief," Jack said, his eyes glinting with excitement. The distinct sound of a splash caught his attention. He stood and looked at the water. Several yards away, sinking beneath the surface was a dress. Jack frowned. No, not a dress, a woman. Who was in a dress. But that wasn't the point. She was unconscious, and the longer Jack stood there… He looked at one of the two goons, the one called Mullroy. "Will you be saving her?" he asked.

Mullroy looked flabbergasted. "I can't swim!" he exclaimed.

Jack frowned. _Then why the HELL are you in the Royal Navy you feces-covered cretin?! _He turned to the other, Murtogg, who merely shook his head rapidly. Jack clenched his teeth. He shouldn't do this. It would thwart all his plans. But, Jack was too nice, apparently. He began stripping himself of his heavy effects. "Pride of the King's Navy you are!" he snarled. "Do not lose these!" Jack stood on the railing of the ship and dove in after the woman. _I'm an idiot. I am such an idiot. What the hell am I doing? Why am I saving her? It's not my fault this clumsy squaw fell off the fort! I should just let her drown. What will I gain from this? Nothing. Yeah, I should let her drown. Serves her right_, Jack thought. _Oh, right. I can't because I'm too altruistic. See, it's this kind of shit that lost me my ship to that jackass Barbossa. God, I'm an idiot. _

As Jack neared the woman, he noticed she had something around her neck. It was a blue necklace. And it was glowing. _No, must be the lighting. Necklaces don't glow… _Jack wrapped his arms around the woman's waist. He kicked off of the ocean floor, propelling him and his new friend upward. He broke the surface and gasped for breath, struggling to hold the woman up. It failed. He sank below the surface again. Her dress was too heavy. Jack ripped it off her. Shame. It was a nice dress. Jack hauled the woman to the piers, where Murtogg relieved Jack of his burden. Jack clambered onto the dock.

"Not breathing!" announced Murtogg.

"Move!" Jack barked. He unsheathed his dagger. With one swift movement, Jack cut the woman's corset off of her and handed the contraption to Mullroy. The woman coughed and sputtered to life immediately.

"Never would've thought of that," said Murtogg.

"Clearly you've never been to Singapore," Jack replied. A glint of gold caught Jack's eye. He reached down and picked up the two objects around her neck. He examined them. A trickle of fear settled in the pit of his stomach, and a hot flash of anxiety washed over him. One was the medallion, the cursed gold sought by Barbossa. The other, to his astonishment, was the pendant from his nightmares. The little girl's pendant. Was this the little girl? No, that was impossible! Still… "Where did you get these?" Jack muttered. He glanced at the woman, meeting her gaze. He was surprised by her reaction. Not by her fear, no. With a jolt, Jack realized that the woman recognized him.

…..

"On your feet." James pointed a sword at Jack while Ginny was hauled to her feet. She couldn't stop staring at Jack. She knew it was _him_. Jack Sparrow. This man was the boy she'd grown up with so long ago, before her mother's death. He wasn't called Sparrow then, but she knew it was Jack. Her Jack, the boy who had taught her to climb trees. It was him. He had the same eyes and same red bandana. It was him. It had to be him. So why didn't he recognize her?

"Ginny, are you all right?" said Governor Swann frantically. Ginny looked at him briefly.

"Yes, I'm fine." she said, turning her attention back to Jack. Was he pretending not to recognize her? Or did he really not know who she was? Well, last time Jack had seen her, she'd been ten years old. So she did look a bit different.

"Shoot him!" said Governor Swann.

"Father!" Ginny protested. "Commodore, do you really intend to kill my rescuer?"

James reluctantly held out his hand to Jack. "I believe thanks are in order." Jack looked at James's hand incredulously. He held out his hand to the commodore, who grabbed Jack's hand and lifted up his sleeve briskly. "Had a brush with the East India Trading Company, pirate?" said James coolly.

Jack cringed, like he was frustrated with himself. "Hang him." said Governor Swann. Ginny opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out.

"Keep your guns on him men. Gillette, fetch some irons," said Norrington. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on! It's one man!" she said.

"Ginny…" said Governor Swann warningly.

"Well, well. Jack Sparrow, isn't it?" said Norrington.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, if you please sir." said Jack. His eyes flicked to Ginny's, alight with curiosity. But still no recognition.

Norrington looked around. "I don't see your ship. _Captain_." he said mockingly.

"I'm in the market, as it were." said Jack.

"He said he'd come to commandeer one." said Mullroy.

"Told ya he was tellin' the truth! These are his, sir." said Murtogg, handing a bundle of objects to Norrington. Ginny leaned forward to get a better look.

Norrington lifted Jack's pistol. "No additional shots nor powder," he said. He set it down and picked up a compass. "A compass that doesn't point north," Norrington continued. He set the compass down while Jack merely smiled sheepishly. Norrington unsheathed Jack's sword halfway. "And I half expected it to be made of wood," said Norrington with a smug smirk. "You are without doubt the worst pirate I have ever heard of."

"But you have heard of me." said Jack with a knowing glint in his dark eyes.

Norrington's smirk vanished. His face took on a stony exterior. Jack was hauled away to be put in chains. Ginny felt herself move into action. "Commodore, I really must protest!" she cried, following the men.

"Carefully, lieutenant." said Norrington, heeding Ginny no attention.

Ginny stood in front of Jack, blocking him from James's view. "Pirate or not, this man saved my life." she seethed.

"One good deed is not enough to redeem a man of a lifetime of wickedness!" snapped James.

"Though it seems enough to condemn him," said Jack.

"Indeed." said James coldly. Ginny glanced between them. They knew each other, she realized. Or of each other.

"Finally," whispered Jack. Before Ginny knew it, Jack had put the chains of his shackles around Ginny's neck, pulling her to him. Ginny widened her eyes, half shocked, half frightened. "I knew you'd warm up to me. Commodore, my effects please! And my hat!" said Jack. When James did nothing, Jack pulled tighter on the chains, choking Ginny. "Commodore!" he urged. "Ginny, it is Ginny isn't it?" murmured Jack in Ginny's ear.

"It's Miss Swann." said Ginny defiantly.

"Miss Swann, if you'd be so kind," said Jack. Ginny caught Jack's effects as they were thrust to her. Jack grabbed the pistol, cocked it, and put it to Ginny's temple. He spun her around to face him. "Come, come, dear. We don't have all day. If you'd be very kind," said Jack. Ginny gritted her teeth angrily but complied. She put on Jack's hat, strapped on his sword and shoulder belt. When she got to his waist belt, Jack said, "Easy on the goods, darling."

Ginny intentionally tightened his belt even tighter. "You're despicable."

"Sticks and stones, love. I saved your life, you saved mine, we're square," Jack turned Ginny back around. "Gentlemen! M'lady…" Jack was slowly backing up. "You will remember this as the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow!" Jack released Ginny and shoved her forward, straight into the men's arms, giving him time to escape.

"Ginny! Go with Elizabeth!" cried Governor Swann, ushering Ginny away. Elizabeth grabbed Ginny's hand and led her away from the chaos. Ginny looked back to see Jack, flying through the air, Norrington's men shooting away at him. With an aching heart, Ginny turned her gaze away from the scene.

What kind of man had Jack become? And why had he forgotten her?


	3. Chapter 3

**_Port Royal Burning_**

_Damn. Dammit. Shit. Now I'm really in a predicament. Jail. This sucks. I save the girl's life and I get locked up! I would've gotten away if it weren't for that eunuch… Damn! And what was that business of Miss Ginny Swann recognizing me? I know she did. And those pendants… How'd she get the Aztec gold? And that sapphire pendant… Where had it come from? I've dreamt about it many a night, but I have never, in all my life seen it in person. Have I? Who is Ginny Swann? Is she a sorceress? No, that's ridiculous. She would've been able to save her own ass from drowning if she were. Was she some gypsy-Obey woman like Tia Dalma? A voodoo priestess? Had she sent me dreams of the pendant? Who is Ginny Swann? How does she know me? She must be some kind of voodoo practitioner. How else could she have recognized me, and how else could I have dreamt of her pendant? We've never seen each other before. Although, come to think of it, she does seem oddly familiar… No, she doesn't. Well, sort of. No. Not really. Actually, she might…She rings a bell of sorts… Like a dim, very dim, almost-nonexistent-dim bell. But it could be just that I've dreamt of that pendant. Maybe she stole it from some witch or something. That little girl from my dream looked like her a bit… What? No she didn't! That's ridiculous! It is not the same person, dear God I'm starting to lose it- SOMEONE PLEASE STOP THAT INFERNAL WHISTLING!_

Jack's eyes snapped open. "You can keep doing that forever; the dog is never going to move." he drawled.

"Oh, well excuse us if we haven't resigned ourselves to the gallows just yet." snapped the other prisoner. Jack looked at them. They were in the other cell, about five or six of them, all crammed against the door, a bone stuck out of the bars, trying to tempt the dog with the keys. They looked ridiculous. Jack grinned and leaned his head back against the stone wall. _Idiots. There are other ways of getting out. One just has to wait for the opportune moment. _

…

The door closed as Estrella, the maid, left. Ginny stared at the door. She was warm and tucked in her bed, but she still felt cold. The golden medallion was safely hidden once again. "Ginny? Are you all right?" asked Elizabeth tentatively.

Ginny snapped out of her daze. "What? Oh, yes. Yes, I'm all right."

Elizabeth made a face like she didn't believe Ginny. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Oh, I'm just… Frazzled." said Ginny.

"You have all the fun!" pouted Elizabeth.

Ginny smirked. "It wasn't all that great, Lizzie."

"Are you sure you're all right?" said Elizabeth, searching Ginny's face for a hidden confession.

Ginny averted her gaze. "I'm just thinking," Ginny said hesitantly.

"About the attack?" prompted Elizabeth.

Ginny looked at her sister. What could it hurt to tell Elizabeth? "I-I recognized him. Jack Sparrow," she admitted.

Elizabeth smiled. "Everyone did."

Ginny nodded. "I suppose." The young women sat in silence for a while. A breeze ruffled the curtains and swept into the room. Ginny watched the flame of their only light source flicker and then vanish. Ginny looked up and searched for Elizabeth's face in the darkness.

"Spooky," said Elizabeth. Her teeth gleamed in the pale moonlight as she smiled at her own joke. Ginny grinned back, but an eerie feeling crawled up her spine. Something wasn't right. A boom in the distance confirmed Ginny's suspicions of danger. She stood up and crossed the room. She walked out onto the balcony. Fires in the distance revealed the problem, but not the source. Ginny scanned the area for the threat… And then she saw the outline of a ship, sitting in the bay, firing cannons at Port Royal. Elizabeth had joined Ginny without her noticing. "Oh my God," Elizabeth whispered. "People are coming!" Ginny looked to where Elizabeth pointed. Fear for her sister settled in her stomach. A band of men charged toward the house, torches ablaze and yelling unintelligible garble. Ginny turned to grab Elizabeth, but Elizabeth was already taking off out of the room. Ginny took off after her sister. Elizabeth was already halfway down the stairs when the butler answered the door. "No, don't!" cried Elizabeth.

But it was too late. The lead man held a pistol to the butler's face. "'ello, chum!" The pistol fired, and the butler fell back onto the floor, dead. Elizabeth screamed, covering her mouth in horror. Ginny had seen death before, and she knew now wasn't the time to grieve. She grabbed Elizabeth and hauled her back into their room as the mobsters charged into the mansion. Ginny knew what they were: pirates. Ginny kicked the door shut behind them. She turned and locked it quickly and turned. She jumped when Estrella appeared before her. Estrella grabbed Elizabeth, who let out a strangled cry of surprise.

"Miss Swann! They've come to kidnap you!" cried Estrella.

"What?" demanded Elizabeth, looking confused.

"You're the governor's daughter," said Estrella, as if this were the most obvious thing in the world.

Ginny narrowed her eyes. A glint of gold around Elizabeth's neck caught her attention. "They haven't seen you yet! Hide, and the first chance you get, run to the fort." said Elizabeth as someone banged on the door.

"Come on!" Ginny snarled, ushering her sister and Estrella into the powder room. Ginny handed Elizabeth the heating pan. Ginny picked up a fire poker. Elizabeth and Ginny stood on either side of the doorway as two pirates burst into the room. Elizabeth smacked one in the face, but the other grabbed the handle of the heating pan. The one she had hit in the face started to get up, but Ginny hit him with the poker. Elizabeth dumped hot ashes on the other one, and Ginny hit him, too. Estrella snuck past and hurried past. Ginny and Elizabeth sprinted after her, but the pirates from earlier cornered them on the stairs. There was a tremendous bang, and a cannonball soared through the mansion, knocking a pirate off his feet. Ginny grabbed Elizabeth's hand and took off with her. Elizabeth's hand slipped form her grasp. Elizabeth screamed. Ginny looked up to see the chandelier falling. She skittered out of the way and sprinted outside, into nightly chaos. She ran toward the town. She stopped when she realized Elizabeth wasn't behind her. "Lizzie? Elizabeth!" Ginny screamed. She turned to run back to the mansion, but someone grabbed her from behind. Ginny kicked out and thrashed around, trying to break free. The man held on tighter. Ginny bit into his hand until she tasted blood. The man let a gargled cry and let go of Ginny. Ginny wheeled around, swinging the fire poker around her head. She hit the man in the head and he dropped the ground, unconscious.

"Ginny!" cried a new voice. Ginny looked around. She sighed in relief.

"Will, thank God!" Ginny exclaimed, approaching her friend. She embraced him in relief. Will hugged Ginny in return. He looked around.

"Where's Elizabeth?" he asked. Ginny blanched.

"S-she is in the house…" she said.

Will nodded. "Let's go. Stay close." Will and Ginny started to take off, but a man blocked their path. Ginny noticed, in the distance, the two pirates from earlier. They were ushering someone along…

"There's Elizabeth, Will they have her!" Ginny cried frantically.

"Wait!" Will snapped, grabbing Ginny. She looked down to see a grenade fizzing. It sputtered out. It was a dud. Will suddenly dropped onto the ground beside Ginny, and the pirate before them took off. Ginny looked at Will in exasperation.

"Seriously?" she demanded. She took off, hoping to get to Elizabeth in time.

Someone grabbed Ginny from behind before she could even get close to the beach. "What are you doing?" they cried. The voice sounded familiar, but Ginny wasn't sure. She just wanted to save her sister.

"Let me go! They have Elizabeth!" Ginny shrieked, kicking and thrashing. She struggled against the person holding her, but they just held on tighter.

"Ginny, there's nothing you can do for her now!" cried the person holding her. Ginny realized it was James. Ginny sagged in James's arms.

"It's my fault… It's all my fault…" she sobbed. She realized she was crying. She sniffed and wiped her face. James was right. The attacks had stopped. The pirates were gone. They had what they wanted.

...

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading, and adding the story to your favorite and follow list. Please, please, please review! They keep me going. I really want to know how I'm doing, if you like the story, if you don't like it… They inspire me to work harder and better as a writer. Thank you!**


	4. Chapter 4

**_An Unlikely Trio _**

Jack grabbed the bone from the floor and attempted to pick the lock. The sound of footsteps alarmed him. He quickly laid back onto the floor, acting nonchalant. "You! Sparrow!" said a young man. Jack lifted his head. _Oh God, it's the eunuch… _

"Eh?" Jack said, looking at the boy.

"You are familiar with that ship, the _Black_ _Pearl_?" demanded the lad.

Jack laid back down. "I've heard of it." he said. _Go away. _

"Where does it make berth?" demanded the boy.

This question took Jack by surprise. He almost laughed. "Where does it make berth?" he repeated. He realized he had reacted too strongly, and the boy was looking hopeful. "Have you not heard the stories? Captain Barbossa and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta. It's an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is." Jack smiled sardonically.

"The ship's real enough. Therefore it's anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?" snapped the boy.

Jack examined his filthy nails. "Why ask me?" Jack hadn't realized that the boy had caught his attention so thoroughly that he had sat up.

"Because you're a pirate." said the boy.

"And you're lookin' to go pirate yourself, lad?" Jack demanded, raising his eyebrows.

The young man's response was so vehement it took Jack by surprise. "Never," The young man gripped the bars tightly, his eyes ablaze with intensity. He relaxed and looked at the floor reluctantly. "They took Miss Swann." he admitted.

Jack sat up straighter. "Oh, so it is that you've found a girl. I see. Well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and win fair lady's heart, you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me." He stared at the young man levelly.

"I can get you out of here." said the lad.

"How's that? The key's run off." Jack jerked his head in the direction of where that blasted dog had run.

"I helped build these cells. These are half-pin barrel hinges," The lad picked up a bench and propped it against the cell door. "With the right leverage and the proper application of strength, the door will lift free."

Jack stared at the eunuch with a calculating stare. The lad was smarter than he'd thought. "What's your name?"

"Will Turner." replied the young man.

_I knew it. I knew it! This could actually work out in my favor… _"That would be short for William, I imagine. Good, strong name. No doubt named for your father, eh?" Jack said.

"Yes." said young William, his eyes bright with curiosity.

Tongue poking his cheek thoughtfully, Jack nodded. "Uh huh," he muttered absentmindedly. "Well, Mr. Turner, I've changed me mind. If you spring me from this cell, I swear on pain of death that I shall take you to the _Black_ _Pearl_ and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?" Jack stuck his hand through the bars. Will hesitated.

He then shook Jack's hand. "Agreed."

"Agreed. Get me out!" said Jack, almost giddy with the thought of being free. With a loud clang, Will lifted the door free.

"Hurry. Someone may have heard that." said Will.

"Not without me effects." said Jack, grabbing his things.

"So, what's the plan?" said a new voice. It was then that Jack noticed the woman standing beside Will. It was the woman he had rescued the previous day.

"Go back home, Ginny." said Will.

Jack decided to say nothing. He just watched the woman's blue eyes flare with anger. "No! I'm coming with you!" said Ginny.

"No, you're not. You'll be in danger." said Will.

"I can take care of myself. Besides, you need me." said Ginny, raising her eyebrows.

"No, I don't." said Will.

"I helped you get in here!"

"We walked right inside, Ginny!"

"I'm coming!"

"No!"

"Yes! You're not my father!"

"I don't have to be! You're not coming!"

"Yes, I am!"

"We're wasting time." Jack pitched in, clearing his throat.

Ginny turned her attention to him. Her eyes darkened. She looked back at Will. "Fine. I'll just tell Norrington what you're doing." She turned on her heel to stalk away.

"She's bluffing." Jack muttered to Will.

"Oh, no, she'll really do it," Will whispered back. With a pained expression, he hissed, "Ginny! Get back over here." He waved at her. Ginny turned, a small smirk toying at her lips.

"Right. So what's the plan?" Ginny asked smugly.

"First, let's get out of this jail." said Jack, leading the way.

…..

Ginny splashed in the water behind Jack and Will. The three of them plastered themselves against the underside of a bridge. Jack poked his head out to look at something in the distance, presumably the harbor. "We're going to steal a ship. That ship?" said Will, peering over Jack's shoulder. Ginny leaned casually against the wall of the bridge and crossed her arms.

"Commandeer," Jack corrected. "We're going to commandeer that ship," He pointed at a different ship. Jack turned to face Will. "Nautical term," Jack clarified at Will's confused expression. "One question about your business, boy, or there's no use going. This girl, how far are you willing to go to save her?"

"I'd die for her!" said Will fiercely.

Jack smiled. "Oh, good. No worries then," He turned back to stare at the ships in the distance. He motioned for Ginny and Will to follow him, which they did. They crept along the beach and found a longboat. Jack flipped it over. "C'mon." he urged. Ginny and Will ducked underneath it with Jack. They crouched on the sand. "Nice and easy." Jack whispered. They began shuffling awkwardly along until they reached the water. They stretched out and held the boat over their heads to keep it from floating away. They walked along the ocean floor. Ginny's dress floated up around her hips, and she was glad Jack was in front of her. She didn't care about Will; he wouldn't say anything, nor would he look at her bare skin. But Jack… She wasn't too sure.

"This is either madness or brilliance." said Will.

"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide." replied Jack flatly. Ginny smirked. Jack had always been brilliant. Even as a child, he'd been brilliant. A little mad, yes, but brilliant. Ginny opened her mouth to remind Jack about the time he'd made a slingshot out of chicken bones when she realized Jack didn't remember. She shut her mouth with an audible pop. She felt her throat close up, but she swallowed the lump. She couldn't afford to appear hurt. Obviously, those days were gone. And there was nothing Ginny could do to bring them back, no matter how much she wanted to.

…..

Jack listened to Will reluctantly. He had other things on his mind, but he waited patiently for the boy to get to his point. "I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father." said Will. Jack closed his eyes and heaved a weary sigh.

"I knew 'im. Probably one of the few who knew him as Will Turner. Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill." Jack said.

"Bootstrap?" repeated Will.

"Good man, good pirate. I swear, you look just like him." Jack answered, looking at Will. He turned away again.

"That's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law." snapped Will.

Jack flared with annoyance. _Not all pirates are bad men, you bloody gormless git!_ "He was a bloody pirate and a scallywag." Jack said angrily.

There was a scraping sound. Will had unsheathed his sword. "My father was not a pirate!" Will declared vehemently.

Jack sighed, bored. "Put it away, son. Don't wanna risk you getting beat again."

"You didn't beat me. You ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd have killed you." said Will angrily.

Jack glanced at Will. "Then that's not really incentive to get me to fight fair, is it?" Jack quickly grabbed Ginny, who was standing close by. He pulled her close with one hand and swung the wheel drastically. Will looked confused for a moment. Jack ducked, making Ginny do the same. Will was whacked in the stomach by the yard of a sail. Will swung out, dangling over the sea. Jack picked up Will's dropped sword and pointed it at Will. "Now as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that matter are these: what a man can do, and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept the fact that your father was both a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood boy, and you'll have to square with that someday. Me, for instance, I can let you drown. But I can't sail into Tortuga all on me onesies with just a woman. Savvy?" Jack grabbed the wheel and swung Will back to the ship, dropping him on deck. "Can you sail under the command of a pirate?" Jack questioned. He flipped the sword around so that the handle faced Will. "Or can you not?"

Will accepted the sword. "Tortuga?"

"Tortuga," Jack repeated, grinning. Will got to his feet and staggered away, mumbling about something below deck. As soon as he was gone, Jack turned on Ginny. He glared at her suspiciously. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Surprise flickered in Ginny's eyes. "What the hell do you mean?"

"I've…" Jack stopped himself. What could he say? He didn't trust her. "I've seen that pendant before. Somewhere. Don't ask where. But it doesn't belong to you."

Ginny frowned and looked at her necklace. "This pendant?"

"Yes," Jack replied shortly. "You're a witch. Or gypsy. Or voodoo priestess. Something of those sorts, eh?"

Ginny stared at him. She looked shocked, angry and amused all at once. She laughed. "No, I can assure you I am none of those."

"Then you stole it from a sorceress." Jack concluded.

Ginny shook her head. "I didn't steal it from anyone, Captain Sparrow," she said. The way Ginny said his name sounded familiar, like she knew him… Or he knew her… Jack shook his head. No, they didn't know each other. "Why do you think I stole it?"

Jack looked at her, snapping out of his own thoughts. "Er… I saw a little girl wearing it." he lied.

Ginny's eyes widened. "How long ago was that? And that doesn't explain why you thought I was a sorceress, either."

_Bloody hell! This woman isn't easy to lie to… Or maybe I'm losing my touch… No, it's definitely her problem. There's nothing wrong with me. _"I dreamt it, all right? I thought that maybe you'd stolen it from a sorceress, or you were a sorceress and had sent me the dream." Jack snapped. He waited for Ginny to laugh, to ridicule him. He peered at her curiously. She was staring at him with a long, measured look. _Shit, she's just as calculating as I am. This might be interesting. I can't tell if I like her or hate her… Somewhere between the two? _

"It was given to me." said Ginny after a long moment of silence.

Jack frowned and stared at her. Ginny was holding something back. _She's so closed off… Sounds familiar… Nah, I'm an open book! And I don't know her… But I don't think I like her… _"By whom?"

"My mother." said Ginny. Her eyes were dark with mystery and sorrow. She stared at Jack with subtle defiance, daring him to object. Jack tilted his head thoughtfully.

"And why isn't mummy wearing it?" Jack teased.

"She's dead." replied Ginny. Jack's face fell. _Oh, shit! Shit, shit, shit! _

"My condolences," Jack said, feeling awkward. _Yep, I don't like her if she makes me feel awkward… _

Ginny shrugged. "It was a long time ago," she said breathily. Her bright blue eyes scrutinized Jack, giving him the impression that she could see right through him. "You knew Barbossa once, didn't you?"

Jack made a face. "What makes you say that?"

Ginny shrugged. "You seemed to know a lot for a man who is merely running on a hunch. Will is naïve to think that just because you're a pirate, you know everything about other pirates. So it was… lucky that you knew so much about Barbossa and his crew."

_Ah, a smart lass… Annoying. _"Aye," Jack said cautiously. "Barbossa and I have… Let's just say we've crossed paths before."

"Paths or swords?" Ginny queried. Jack glowered at her. Ginny grinned and raised her hands in playful surrender. Jack refused to grin back. Ginny sobered. "That medallion… That's what Barbossa wanted, wasn't it? That's why he took Elizabeth?"

Jack frowned and straightened from his lean against the wheel. _Stop asking me questions! _"Why'd she have it, anyway? I thought it was in your possession, as it were."

Ginny scowled. "Elizabeth must've taken it when I put it away."

"How'd you come into possession of the medallion, anyhow?" Jack asked.

Ginny looked reluctant and somewhat guilty. "We… We took it from Will when we found him." she admitted, looking around to make sure said William wasn't within earshot.

Jack grinned maliciously. "Ah, and I take it the lad doesn't know?"

Ginny's attention snapped to Jack, her blue eyes blazing like blue fire. "And I'd like to keep it that way." she flashed.

Jack frowned. His playfulness had dissipated. _Feisty lass… She's got a bit pirate in her, too. _"The lad's bound to find out sooner or later."

"Then it'll have to be later, then, won't it?" said Ginny coldly.

Jack grinned lopsidedly. "Fine. You have me word that I shan't say a thing to the boy."

Ginny looked at him skeptically for a moment. Then, she seemed to have decided to trust him. Her icy demeanor softened. "Thank you, Captain Sparrow."

"My pleasure, Miss Swann." Jack replied, grinning. Ginny turned away. Jack's grin faded as he watched Ginny go. _Who are you, Ginny Swann? Why have I dreamt of you? What are you hiding? _

**…**

**Thanks for reading! I'll try to update every 2 weeks or so… Maybe sooner, if I can. **

**KelseyHeart- Thanks, I hope you've enjoyed it! I enjoy writing it! **

**Let me know what you guys think by leaving a review! Thank you! **


	5. Chapter 5

**_Ghosts _**

_"__No, please… Don't touch me, please!" she sobbed. The man grinned and caressed her face. _

_"__Oh, it's all right, sweetheart. I'm not going to hurt you." he said. His disgusting breath blew across her face. She held back the bile rising in her throat. She trembled with fear. _

_"__No, don't touch me." she mumbled, tears streaming down her face. The man grabbed her roughly. _

_"__Shut up! It'll be over soon!" he barked. She flinched as he ripped open her dress. He pulled her close. She gritted her teeth as more tears poured down her cheeks. He planted a wet and sloppy kiss on her mouth. She couldn't take it anymore. She smacked him. "You little wench!" he roared. He struck her across the face. She tumbled to the dirty ground. He pointed a gnarled finger at her. "You'll pay for this!" _

_She sat on the floor, shaking. She heaved a great sob. It was so cold. She missed her mother. She missed her father. She missed her sisters and brothers. She missed him. She laid on the floor and wept. "You! Up!" growled a voice. She sat up. A figure unlocked her cell door. He grabbed her roughly from the floor and dragged her out of the dungeon. He hauled her upstairs and down a long hallway. He forced her up another flight of stairs and lugged her down another corridor. He shoved her into an office. She collapsed onto the floor. The man slammed the door shut. She looked around frantically. There was a large bookshelf, with tons of books stacked on it. On another bookshelf, there were no books. Just knickknacks and collectibles. She stood and approached the books. They were dusty. She frowned. Who didn't like to read books? Someone who just had them for show… _

_"__No doubt you've discovered that this business is not your cup of tea." said a voice. She jumped and looked around. She hadn't noticed the man sitting at his desk. His pale blue eyes watched her with interest. He was surprisingly young. _

_"__I-I can't do it." she stammered. _

_The man stared at her. "I'm afraid you have to." _

_"__I-I can't! I-I'll vomit. I just c-can't. They don't like it when I cry." she replied, the tears returning. _

_The man sighed. "Ginny, you have no choice. If you ever want to see your family again, then you'll do as I say." _

_"__Why are you doing this?" she sobbed. _

_The man shuffled some papers. "It's just good business." _

Ginny gasped and sat up. She panted, sweat covering her skin with a light dew. She was trembling. That girl, so long ago, was not her anymore. It was a ghost of her former self. A memory of the girl she used to be. Ginny let out a deep breath and laid back down, staring at the ceiling.

….

_He stepped around the tree, slingshot raised. He frowned when there was no one there. "Ha!" yelled a voice behind him. Something soft hit him in the back of the head. He rolled his eyes and turned. "Got you!" cried the girl. _

_He grinned. "Nicely done, Gin. You're getting better." _

_Gin's grin was wide. "You think so?" _

_"__I know so." He grinned back. Gin's smile faded as the sky darkened. The trees began burning. Tears ran down Gin's face. He backed away in alarm. _

_"__You promised!" Gin cried. _

_"__Who are you?" The voice that spoke wasn't his own; it was deeper. But he had been the one to speak. _

_Gin's face darkened. It began to rain. "You know who I am." _

_"__I swear, I don't!" he cried. _

_"__You left me." Gin yelled. _

_"__I don't know you!" he retorted. _

_Gin's eyes were angry, and her voice had risen to a scream. "You're the reason I'm dead!" _

Jack gasped awake. He sat up. Darkness shrouded the room. He kicked the covers off himself and stepped out of the cabin. He stiffened at the sight of Ginny, leaning against the ship's railing. Her nightdress fluttered in the light breeze. She was glowing like a ghost in the moonlight. Jack wanted to turn right back around and go back in his cabin and ignore Ginny.

"Can't sleep either?" said Ginny. _Damn. _

Jack grimaced and contemplated locking himself in the cabin anyway. He argued with himself for a few seconds, turning from Ginny to the door and back again. But Ginny had turned to face him. So, Jack braved a grin and walked over to her casually. "I'm a man of the night anyway, love."

Ginny raised an eyebrow. "So that's why you look like you've seen a ghost?"

Jack frowned. "Well, you are dressed… Ghostly." He gestured wildly at her.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "You had a nightmare."

Jack opened his mouth to retort, but the words died on his tongue. "And I'm guessing you did as well?"

Ginny pursed her lips in a grim smile. "Every night."

She turned back toward the sea. Jack joined her. "Mine went away for a while. But… They've come back."

"Ah, the sorceress." Ginny replied.

Jack frowned and glowered at her. "Perhaps."

Ginny grinned. Her hair looked silver in the glow of the moon. Her eyes were a soft gray. She was beautiful, Jack had to admit. Her grin faded, and she looked back at the ocean. "My mother was killed right in front of me." she confessed.

Jack's face fell. _Damn! What the hell do I say to that? Why is she telling me this? _"I… I'm sorry to hear that, love." he said.

Ginny shrugged. "That's what my nightmares are about. I relive it every night. I guess it could be worse."

Jack chuckled. Ginny had a decent sense of humor. "Yeah, I s'pose you could've turned out… differently…" Ginny smiled. Jack stared at her for a long time. He sighed. "My nightmares are confusing. I'm not sure what they're about, honestly. I see…" He stopped. Could he tell Ginny about the girl? "I'm not sure, exactly. Maybe suppressed memories or something. There's this girl. She blames me for her death. But I don't remember her. I don't… know her."

"Suppressed memories?" queried Ginny.

Jack looked at her. _Don't tell her. Don't tell her. Dammit. _"I don't remember… Some things. I don't know why I'm telling you this. I don't even know you." Jack sighed in frustration.

"Yeah, you don't." snapped Ginny. Jack looked at her in surprise. The hurt and anger in Ginny's voice was unexpected.

"Are you sure? You seem to know me." Jack barked.

Ginny's eyes flickered with unease. "What are you talking about?"

"You recognized me when I rescued you." Jack said, his voice shaking with growing frustration. Ginny crossed her arms.

"I've seen your face on wanted posters." she said. _Oh, ho! Don't you lie to me, darling. _

"You're lying." Jack seethed.

Ginny's eyes flashed. "I don't trust you."

Jack glared at her. "You know me. But I don't know you. I'm going to find out why."

Ginny raised her chin. "You can try."

Jack grinned. "I'm quite talented at unlocking things, love. I am a pirate, after all," He moved closer to Ginny. "And I will unlock you and all your little secrets."

"Stay away from me." Ginny snapped. She pushed Jack away and stalked off. Jack watched her go, watching her hips sway with every step she took.

**...**

**Oh dear, Jack and Ginny don't like each other much, do they? **

**POTC misty potter temple: I laughed WAY too hard at your review. Anyway, sorry it took so long, but here ya go! **

**Thanks for reading, please favorite, follow and review! You guys are awesome!**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Tortuga _**

Jack grinned as he led Ginny and Will through the rambunctious streets of Tortuga. He'd been explaining the sights and wonders of the magnificent pirate town to the two in tow. "More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga, savvy? What do you think?" Jack stopped in front of the Faithful Bride, the most magnificent pub in all of the Caribbean, in his humble opinion.

Will looked like he was trying not to vomit. "It'll linger."

Jack smirked. "I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," he declared. _I'll prove it to you_, he thought, seeing an old flame. He approached with his most gracious grin. "Scarlett!" he cried. The fiery redhead's hand came whizzing through the air to smack him, hard. Jack was forced to look at Will and Ginny. "Not sure I deserved that," he muttered. Will looked confused. Ginny merely looked annoyed. She had been avoiding him, giving him the cold-shoulder the whole journey. Jack turned around. He noticed another bombshell. He approached her, feeling his stomach twist with butterflies. "Giselle!"

"Who is she?" Giselle snapped, eyeing Ginny.

Jack glanced briefly at Ginny, then back at Giselle. "What?" he said stupidly. Giselle's palm came in contact with Jack's cheek, sending him twirling to face Will and Ginny again. "I may have deserved that." Jack admitted, grimacing. Ginny rolled her eyes, looking seriously annoyed. She had her arms crossed so tightly Jack was surprised there was any circulation in her arms. She looked deeply uncomfortable, her eyes darting about. _She's nervous, _Jack realized. Why? What did Ginny have to be nervous about?

A drunken man staggered up to Ginny. "Well ain't you just a purdy thang?" he slurred.

Ginny stepped away, looking disgusted. "Back off." she said, her voice calm. Jack narrowed his eyes. _Don't do it, mate. _

"Aw, come on! I jus' wanna have a li'le bi' o' fun!" the man whined, inching closer to Ginny.

Will stepped forward. "Leave her alone."

"'oo's this? Yer beloved?" scoffed the man.

Jack rolled his eyes and intervened. "The lady asked you to back off. I suggest you kindly do so."

The man stared at Jack. _Yeah, you recognize me. Go on. Get. _The man mumbled under his breath, sidling away. "I bet he feels unwanted." said Will. _Oh, shut up, eunuch. But yeah, I'm sure he does. Not for long, though. Yep… Scarlett's approaching him. Blegh. _Jack braved a smile and turned around.

"Not anymore. Scarlett'll keep him preoccupied. In the meantime, William, don't let Miss Swann leave your sight. Tortuga's not a safe place for a lady of her standing," he said merrily. "Now. Let's go wake Mister Gibbs, shall we?"

…..

Ginny watched the bedlam of drunken men and women flirt outrageously, fight clumsily and fall ungracefully. She watched many a couple scurry away, giggling and holding hands, pausing every few steps to snog before they headed to one of the inns. She swallowed the bile rising in her throat. She'd been to Tortuga many times. Not that Will or Jack needed to know. But, she'd been here on several occasions. All for one thing: the business of a brothel. Ginny shrank against the pole beside Will. A large woman was chattering in slurred and incoherent words of what she probably thought was sweet nothings. The woman stumbled into Will, who knocked Ginny sideways by accident. Ginny staggered to catch herself. She rolled her eyes in extreme annoyance. She couldn't be here. It hadn't been long enough since her last visit to Tortuga. She needed air, she needed sleep, and she needed space… She needed the sea. She needed to be back on the ship, watching the ocean. Yes, that would help her calm herself. She hated being uncollected. She didn't even have to force herself to leave. She was already walking out of the tavern and into the reeking Tortugan streets. She skirted around chunks of vomit, piss and excrement. She stepped over broken bottles of rum and pushed past intoxicated, tottering pirates and prostitutes. She hurried along until the worst of the pandemonium was behind her.

…

Jack slammed his tankard onto the table. Things were going pretty well. All he had to do was take Will and Ginny back to the ship, get a good night's rest and meet his crew in the morning. He ambled over to Will, who was trying to ward off a very fat woman. Jack raised his eyebrows at the woman and shooed her away. He pulled up a chair and sat beside Will. "Good news, lad. We'll be off in the morning with a full crew, so we can sail after your bonny lass in a dashing rescue." Jack said, grinning to himself. _And I can get my ship back. _

"Oh, great!" said Will, smiling. He looked exhausted.

Jack looked around, suddenly aware that Ginny's fuming presence wasn't hovering around. "Where's Miss Stick-Up-Her-Ass?" he questioned.

Will frowned, noticing, it seemed for the first time, that Ginny was missing. "She… She was here only moments ago!" he cried in disbelief.

Jack rolled his eyes dramatically. "William, how hard is it to protect your friend? Go back to the ship, see if she's there." Jack stood up, heaving a sigh.

…

Ginny could see the ships docked in the bay. The putrid stench of Tortuga was already fading as the aroma of the sea took over. Ginny's head was already clearing, and she was beginning to feel less vulnerable.

Strong arms suddenly clasped around Ginny from behind. She widened her eyes and kicked out, struggling to get free. Another attacker appeared, grabbing her feet. Ginny kicked and squirmed, but both men held onto her with iron-like strength. She scrunched inward and kicked out again, but to no avail. They began hauling her away. Ginny was beginning to get frantic. "Help!" she cried. Who would hear her? No one was around to hear her screams, and if they were, her cried would be drowned out by the merriments of Tortuga. "Will!" she screamed. "Jack!" The man holding her from behind covered her mouth, muffling her cries.

"Shut up, you bitch!" snarled the man. Ginny struggled to raise her chin just enough to bite his hand. Her teeth sank into his flesh. His hand writhed to get free, but Ginny bit until she tasted the rusty flavor of his blood. He finally wrenched his hand free. He dropped Ginny, and she was able to kick the other man in the groin to free herself from his grasp. She scrambled to her feet while the two men were busy recovering. She took off but ran straight into two more men. She stopped in her tracks and turned to run the other way, but her original attackers were closing in on her. To the right, two more men inched toward her. To her left, two more men crept toward her, grinning maliciously. She was surrounded.

She turned back to her original attackers, trying to think clearly despite her panic. The one she had bitten punched her, sending her sprawling on the ground. "Grab the whore." snarled one of the men. She was picked up again. No, she was not going to go down with a fight. She kicked and writhed and screamed until her throat was raw. "Will! Jack! Somebody! Jack! Help! _JACK_!" she shrieked.

"Keep screaming, ye stupid wench!" cackled one of the men. Ginny was suddenly shrouded in darkness. She looked around wildly, willing her eyes to adjust to the darkness. "No one is gonna find ye now."

…

Jack was searching, growing a little more agitated by each second. Ginny wasn't anywhere to be found. What if something had happened to her? _Then I'll get hanged for sure! _He looked around. He reluctantly approached Giselle. "Giselle, have you seen a woman? Blonde hair, blue eyes, dressed richly?" he interrogated.

The doxy's heavily kohl-lined eyes looked uninterested. "Yeah, I saw yer little strumpet. She walked out a little while ago. Looked ill, she did."

"Which way did she go?" Jack demanded, struggling to keep his voice even.

Giselle pointed haphazardly in the direction of the docks. "Towards the bay. Hopefully to drown 'erself."

Jack turned on the spot and hurried to where Giselle had indicated. Maybe Ginny had made it to the ship… "_JACK!_"

Jack stopped cold, the hairs on the back of his neck raising. Ginny. Ginny had most definitely not made it back to the ship.

….

Ginny's original attacker held her down on the dusty floor. Flickering lights from a single lantern hanging from the ceiling swung overhead, dizzying her. The man held her by the wrists. His eyes were black and gleaming with a hungry coruscation, like a predator stalking its prey. Ginny felt her eyes prickle with tears that she refused to let fall. "Aw, don't figh' i', love. It'll only make i' hur' more." said the man, his teeth glinting with noxious simper. Ginny screamed around the gag stuffed in her mouth. She struggled to get free, but the man was on top of her, holding her wrists. He was stronger than her, and she was out of practice when it came to combat. She was better with blades, anyway. The man began planting kisses on Ginny's skin. She groaned in disgust as he licked her throat, trailing all the way up to her chin. He cackled at her distress and flicked her cheek with his tongue. She flinched. The man used his forearm to strike her across the face. "Matt says we can do wha' we want with 'er, and then she's his!" cried the man jovially.

"Like hell!" bellowed a new voice. There was a metallic clang, a noise Ginny recognized immediately as swords clashing together. There was an oof, and a body fell to the grimy floor. There was a shatter as someone got shoved out of a window. The fight was brought all the way to where Ginny lay. Her attacker was thrown off of her. She struggled to sit up. She could see the outline of her rescuer pinning her attacker against the wall. "Never lay your hand on a woman like that again, do you understand?" growled her savior. Her assailant merely chortled in reply. Her rescuer drew his fist back and punched the man so hard he slumped to the floor, unconscious. Her Good Samaritan edged toward her cautiously, palms raised in a gesture of surrender. "Ginny? Are you all right?" he asked.

Ginny raised her eyes, stunned. It was Jack. She nodded jerkily. "I-I'm fine." she stammered.

Jack frowned. He didn't believe her. "C'mere, love." He reached out to her. Ginny hesitated before taking his hand. He helped her stand. He led her back to the _Interceptor_ and to his cabin, where he sat her down on the bed. "Did they hurt you?"

Ginny shook her head, shaking uncontrollably. "It's nothing."

Jack frowned again. He leaned forward, examining Ginny's face. He touched her cheekbone lightly. Ginny winced as a flash of pain seared through her face. Jack raised an eyebrow. "Did he…?" Jack waved flamboyantly at Ginny.

Ginny shook her head. "It didn't get that far, thank God."

Jack nodded. "You need different clothes," he decided. "And a weapon. Stay here." Jack disappeared. Ginny pulled her knees up to her chest protectively. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she quivered. Why her? Why was she so vulnerable? Why couldn't she fight them? She had once been a strong woman, capable of defending herself and others. What had happened to her? Jack returned, carrying a bundle of clothes and a rusty cutlass. He tossed the clothes to her. "Put those on. I'll step out." he said. He did so. Ginny unsteadily got to her feet and began undressing. Goosebumps were raised on her arms. The hairs on her arms were on end. She stepped into the brown breeches Jack had given her. She slipped the white linen shirt over her head. She buckled the brown belt around her waist and slipped her arms through the gray-blue vest. She slipped on the brown boots, which were slightly too big. In fact, all the clothes were too big.

"Um, y-you can come in." she called. Jack slipped back inside the cabin, closing the door behind himself. He cocked his head, examining her.

"I must say, the dress does flatter you more. But at least you won't attract any unwanted attention in that." he said, flashing a grin at her.

Ginny's lips barely twitched. "Thanks." she muttered. She sat back down, still quaking. Jack stood before her, presenting the cutlass to her.

"In case of emergencies, love. Hopefully you won't have to use it." Jack said. Ginny, feeling a bit less vulnerable, took the cutlass confidently. She sheathed it with ease.

"If the time comes, I'll be ready." she said, furrowing her brow in determination.

Jack shook his head. "I can't believe those drunken bastards."

Ginny stiffened. "I thought you would approve."

Jack's demeanor changed at once. He backed away from Ginny, and his eyes hardened with a cold intensity. "There is no excuse for taking advantage of women." he said in voice trembling with rage.

Ginny widened her eyes. _So there is a decent man beneath all that… Pirate. _"Don't you have a tramp in every port?"

"Two in some, but they all come to me of their own accord. I would never force a woman into any debaucheries." Jack snapped.

Ginny frowned at him. _That ego could fill the sails! _"You would just flirt until she complies."

Jack's lips twitched. "Perhaps. But you don't really know me, do you?"

A flash of hurt seared through her chest. _You're right, Jack. I don't. Not anymore. _Jack turned away, as if to leave. "I'm sorry," Ginny called after him. He stopped. He turned back around slowly. The anger had vanished from his eyes, only to be replaced by suspicious curiosity. "Your reputation precedes you, Captain Sparrow. And… my experiences with men haven't been dissimilar to what happened earlier."

Astonishment flitted in Jack's eyes. "You've been in situations like that before?"

Ginny lowered her gaze to stare at her hands. "A long time ago, back when I was a different person." she answered quietly.

Jack seemed too stunned to speak. "What happened?"

Ginny looked up. "Thank you for your help, Captain Sparrow. But I need to rest." she said sharply. She got up to leave.

"Jack," called Jack. Ginny turned, befuddled.

"Pardon?" she queried.

"My name's Jack, love." said Jack.

Ginny puckered her brow at him. "And my name's Ginny, not love."

Jack smirked. "All right, love."

Ginny sighed and rolled her eyes. "Goodnight… Jack."

Jack dipped his head to her. "Goodnight, Ginny."

**…****.**

**Okay, so Jack and Ginny are making some progress… Jack still gets on Ginny's nerves, and she gets on his, but at least now they don't hate each other. Sorry if this chapter was a little intense. **

**Louisiana: Thank you so much! Sorry that sometimes there are really short gaps in between updates and really long gaps between updates. College life is a struggle, haha. **

**DeLacus: I am so glad you like it! I hope you keep reading and enjoying where it's headed! **


	7. Chapter 7

**_Storm at Sea_**

"Feast yer eyes, Cap'n. All of them, faithful hands before the mast, every man worth his salt. And crazy to boot." Gibbs stood proudly before a group of men. Jack furrowed his brow in concentration. He needed to look fierce and respectable.

"So this is your able-bodied crew?" sneered Will.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You, sailor!"

"Cotton, sir." said Gibbs promptly.

"Mr. Cotton, do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Jack interrogated. The bearded man simply stared at Jack. "Mr. Cotton! Answer me!"

"Er, he's a mute, sir," said Gibbs. _Oh. Well thanks for the information before I made myself look like a complete jackass. _"Poor devil had his tongue cut" –Cotton opened his mouth wide to reveal his stub of a tongue –"so he trained the bird to talk for him." Gibbs finished explaining with a smug grin.

Jack glanced at the brightly colored parrot perched upon Cotton's shoulder. "Mr. Cotton's… parrot," Jack said, feeling ridiculous. "Same question."

"Raw! Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" squawked the parrot. Jack turned to Gibbs, eyebrows raised incredulously.

"Mostly we figure that means 'yes'." Gibbs explained.

"O'course it does!" Jack replied. He turned to Will. "Satisfied?"

Will's eyebrows were raised. "Well, you've proved they're mad."

"What's the benefit for us?" demanded a high-pitched voice that sounded exotic and familiar. Jack frowned and crept toward the source. He swept off a sailor's hat to reveal a dark-skinned woman. "Anamaria." Jack grinned. Jack immediately received a slap.

"I suppose you didn't deserve that one?" asked Will, his tone laced with mild sarcasm.

Jack decided to be honest. "No, this one I deserved." he admitted.

"You stole my boat!" growled Anamaria as Jack turned to her.

"Actually, I-," Jack attempted, but Anamaria's hand came flying at his face again, and he wheeled at the force of her slap. His cheek stung. "Borrowed, borrowed without permission!" Jack growled. 'But with every intention of bringing it back to you." Jack added with sugary sweetness.

"But you didn't!" snapped Anamaria.

"You'll get another one." Jack promised. _No you won't. _

"I will." seethed Anamaria, pointing a slender finger at him, as if she had read his thoughts.

"A better one." added Will.

"A better one!" Jack agreed jovially, pleased the whelp was warming up to him.

"That one!" said Will, pointing. Jack frowned, suddenly displeased.

"What one?" he hissed, following the trail of Will's finger. His eyes found the _Interceptor_, and wheeled on Will angrily. "That one?!" he growled. Will raised his eyebrows at Jack. Jack turned to Anamaria. "Aye. That one," he agreed reluctantly, still trying to look nonchalant. "What say you?"

The crew, including Anamaria, chorused a loud "Aye!" The crew dispersed, and Gibbs approached Jack frantically.

"No, no, no, no, no, no! It's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard!" he panicked. Jack looked at his compass, and then at the steadily darkening sky.

"What am I, a prepubescent boy?" snapped Ginny, glaring at Gibbs. The older man looked at Ginny, startled.

"Miss Swann! I, uh, didn't notice ye. Didn't recognize ye," he apologized awkwardly. He turned back to Jack. "Two? We can't have two!" he hissed in Jack's ear.

"I can hear you." said Ginny.

"It would be far worse not to have them." said Jack ominously. With the approaching storm, they would need all the help that they could get.

…

Ginny held her breath as yet another wave crashed over the deck of the ship. She was swept off her feet. She managed to stand when the water had flooded back into the raging ocean. Ginny blinked a mixture of sea and sky water out of her eyes. Lightning split the sky with brilliant flash of light, and a tremendous boom of thunder soon followed. Ginny managed to reach Will and Gibbs, who were hauling a rope. "How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?" bellowed Will, glaring at Jack, who was at the wheel.

"Aye, the compass doesn't point north. But we're not trying to find north, are we?" countered Gibbs over the roar of the storm. Gibbs hobbled away to talk to Jack.

Ginny turned to Will. "What can I do to help?" she cried.

"Help me hold this steady!" Will roared back. Ginny grabbed the rope. It didn't take long for the rope to start burning her hands as she struggled to hold on. She was fighting the wind and tide. She squinted a large mass forming off the port bow. She widened her eyes.

"Will!" she exclaimed, unable to disguise her fear.

"Incoming!" Will bellowed. The massive wave crashed upon the deck. The enormous rush of water wrenched Ginny away from the rope. She felt herself sliding with the water to the opposite side of the ship. She slammed into the railing with a sickening crunch.

_"__Jackie, what do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked. _

_"__I dunno. Why?" replied the boy. _

_"__I'm just curious." she answered. _

_"__I used to want to be like my dad. But then I realized what he was. I don't want to be that." said the boy after a long pause. _

_"__Are pirates all bad?" she asked. _

_The boy rolled over in the tall grass to look at her. "Yes. Don't go near one." _

_She giggled. "But I want to see the world! There's too much out there to just stay here." _

_The boy scrutinized her. "How old are you?" he teased. _

_"__Nine!" she shot at him. _

_The boy grinned crookedly. "So grown up," he snorted. He laid back to stare at the blue sky, watching fluffy clouds of white glide overhead. "I want to see the world, too. I just don't want to be bad." _

_She sat up and looked at him, grinning. "You could never be bad." _

_He raised an eyebrow at her, his dark eyes glinting. "Oh yeah? And why's that?" _

_She smirked at him, half teasing, half serious. "You're too good." _

"Ginny. Ginny. Wake up!" Someone was shaking her.

"Move!" ordered a new voice. "Lay her back down." said the voice. It was gentle but rough. There was a brief, heavy beat on her chest. Ginny coughed up water, sputtering to life. She coughed for several seconds. She looked up, squinting at the bright light. Her vision focused on several faces peering down at her in concern.

"Ginny! Thank God!" cried the nearest person. They threw their arms around Ginny in a tight embrace. It was Will.

"What happened?" Ginny asked groggily as Will pulled away.

"A massive wave crashed on the deck, took you with it. Nearly took ye overboard if it weren't for Turner, here." said Gibbs.

"Are you all right, love?" asked Jack. He was crouched in front of Ginny, peering at her with worry.

Ginny was suddenly aware of all the people staring at her. She immediately felt vulnerable and foolish. "I'm fine," she snapped. She got to her feet unsteadily, still aware that everyone was watching. She looked at a rocky island in the near distance. "Is that it?"

"Aye. That's it. William and I are going ashore to fetch Miss Swann. We'll be back in a jiffy." said Jack.

"I'm going, too." said Ginny.

"No, you're not." replied Will.

"Yes, I am." said Ginny.

"No! You just got knocked unconscious by a wave, and you want to go crawling around a cave? I don't think so!" barked Will vehemently.

"You don't decide for me!" retorted Ginny.

"Love, perhaps the lad is right." said Jack, stepping in.

Ginny looked from Jack to Will. She almost agreed to stay on board the ship. But then she would seem weak. And she couldn't let herself seem any more vulnerable than she already appeared. "Neither of you get a say in what is best for me. I'm going, whether the two of you like it or not. _Savvy_?" she seethed. She shot the last word at Jack.

Disgruntlement and annoyance flashed in Jack's eyes. "Fine. Just don't fall behind." he snapped. Will and Jack turned away, heading for the longboat. Ginny watched the two angry men shuffle away. Aware that everyone was watching her, she followed them with her head held high. She wasn't going to back down. And she certainly wasn't going to show her fear.

…

**Not much Ginny/Jack interaction, I know… But I think that I might be able to post another chapter sooner than normal. Maybe… Friday? Certainly by this weekend! So, check back in if you want more Jack and Ginny! **

**DeLacus: Yeah, I'm glad he was, too! I almost made it so that he didn't, but… Yeah. Might've been too graphic or heavy. I'm so glad you like their relationship! I like it too. I think they're pretty funny, and I'm glad someone else does. Thank you for your reviews! They make my day! **

**Thanks for reading, please favorite/follow/review! **

**Storm777**


	8. Chapter 8

**_The Corruption of Treasure _**

Jack leaned back with the motion of his consistent rowing. "What Code is Gibbs to keep to should we fall behind?" asked Will, glancing at the glittering gold beneath the rippling water.

"Pirate's Code," Jack said shortly. "Anyone who falls behind" –Jack glanced at Ginny darkly –"is left behind." Jack finished with a grim press of his lips.

"I guess there's no honor amongst thieves, then." said Will bitterly.

Annoyance sparked in Jack's gut. "You know, for having such a bleak outlook on pirates, you're well on your to becoming one," he pointed out. _Time to rub salt in the wound, you prat. _"Sprung a man from jail, commandeered a ship from the Fleet, sailed with a buccaneer crew out of Tortuga" –Jack and Will looked at the gold at the bottom of the little river –"and you're completely obsessed with treasure." They reached the shore. Jack hopped out of the boat and sidled over to an opening in the rock to peer at the scene before him.

"That is not true!" snarled Will angrily. "I am not obsessed with treasure."

Jack glanced at him with a grin. "Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate." He glanced at Ginny, who had been extremely quiet the whole journey over. He was still annoyed with her for insisting to come along. She had nearly died on board the ship. She was trying to prove herself; that much was obvious. But why? What did she have to prove? Was she trying to make herself seem tough, since she had nearly been raped? Was she afraid of him? _Does she think I'll take advantage of her? _

_Why would she think that? I told her I wouldn't! I don't do that to women… Unless they want me to. But then it's not taking advantage of them. What the hell is Ginny's problem? _

Jack snapped out of his thoughts. Barbossa was holding a crude-looking dagger, and pointing at Elizabeth, who was bound and looking terrified. She was wearing a maroon dress with black lace, which Jack was fairly certain wasn't the dress she had been captured in. "Jack!" gasped Will, attempting to leap through the opening to save Elizabeth. Jack grabbed him and hauled him back. Some of the treasure jostled and trickled down the mound and onto the ground. Jack glanced at the scene, praying no one noticed. He turned to Will, satisfied that nobody had noticed.

"Not yet! We wait for the opportune moment," Jack growled. _Don't be stupid, boy… _Jack turned away. He walked away from Will.

"When's that?" demanded Will. "When it's of greatest profit to you?"

Jack stopped in his tracks, staring ahead with a faraway look. _What is with these people thinking I'm a complete heartless wretch? I have half a heart! _"William, tell me something," Jack turned to Will. "Have I given you reason not to trust me? Do us a favor: I know it's difficult for you, but please stay here. And try not to do anything stupid." Jack said. He turned away again. He walked down the cave to find a better viewpoint of Barbossa and Elizabeth. Barbossa was continuing his speech, which was really quite stupid of him. _Stupid bastard. _

A shuffle of footsteps diverted Jack's attention. "Will, don't!" cried Ginny. Jack looked to see Will approaching, oar raised. Jack barely had time to grimace as Will swung the paddle, whacked Jack in the head and everything went black.

…

Ginny stared in horror at the mess Will had just made. Jack was lying in a motionless heap on the ground. "Will, what the hell have you done?" she cried.

Will looked at her. "Come on. Leave him lie."

Ginny glared at Will. "No." she said firmly.

"Ginny, we don't have time for this! Let's go." said Will, turning away.

Ginny didn't move. She looked at the unconscious Jack, and back at Will's retreating back. "No." she called after him.

Will turned, looking impatient. "No? Ginny, we can argue about this later."

"You're right. So go. Save Elizabeth. I'm staying." Ginny retorted calmly.

Will sighed in exasperation. "Ginny, he's a pirate. He would've done the same to us!"

Ginny's eyes flared with anger. "No, Will. I don't believe he would. He saved me in Tortuga when you couldn't. I owe him this. Go. I am staying."

Will glared at her. "So you've made your choice." he seethed.

"So I have." Ginny replied stiffly. Will's eyes hardened with anger and then softened with regret. He turned back around and headed the opposite way, away from Ginny and Jack.

Ginny watched Will retreat until he was gone. Ginny stood awkwardly, wondering what she should do. She knelt beside Jack. She rolled him over so that he wasn't lying on his face. She brushed the dirt off his face. She needed to wake him. She shook Jack slightly. "Jack, wake up," she whispered. No response. "Guess I can't be gentle, then," she decided. She shook Jack roughly. "Jack. Wake up!" she yelled. Jack mumbled in his slumber. Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed. She raised her hand and slapped Jack, hard, across the face. "Wake up you bastard!" Ginny shouted.

Jack awoke. He sat up, looking groggy. "What's goin' on?" he mumbled.

"Jack, get up. We have to hurry." Ginny urged.

Jack suddenly looked sober as he laid eyes on Ginny. "You stayed behind?"

Ginny nodded. "It was the honorable thing to do."

To Ginny's surprise, fury flared in Jack's dark eyes. "Ginny, that was stupid!" he snarled.

Ginny frowned. "Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the paddle." she stated, a hint of sarcasm lacing her tone.

Jack glared at Ginny. "This is no laughing matter! This was so rash of you!" he rebuked angrily.

Ginny glared at Jack, just as angrily as he stared at her. "Was saving me rash?" she questioned.

Jack stared at her. The anger in his eyes faded ever so slightly. "I don't regret saving you. That wasn't… rash. It was logical… It was… the honorable thing to do," he said quietly. The ferocity returned, darkening his eyes. "But staying here with me… This is foolish."

Ginny glared at him. "Do you think you're not worth it?" she teased.

Jack's eyes flashed. "Oh love, I am more than worth it," he said with a roguish grin. He leaned in toward Ginny with suggestive eyes. Ginny raised her eyebrows at him. Jack leaned away, pressing his lips together. "But, staying here with me was not smart. Not what I would expect from you, love."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Ginny snapped.

Jack looked around at the sound of voices. "C'mon," he said, hauling Ginny to her feet. "We have to get out of here." Ginny stopped him.

"Not until you answer me. What would you expect from me?" she said.

Jack stared at her for several seconds. "I would expect you to be smarter than to risk your life staying here with a pirate like me."

Ginny raised her chin defiantly. "Well, you expected wrong."

Jack stared at her. "It was still foolish of you."

"You could just say thank you and move on." Ginny snapped.

Jack winked. He grabbed her by the hand and led her through the dark passages. He carried the paddle in one hand. He stumbled frequently, signaling to Ginny that he was still disoriented from the blow to his head. They staggered into a flood of torchlight, right into the crowd of Barbossa's crew. Ginny stiffened. "You!" shouted the skinny one that had attacked Ginny and Elizabeth in Port Royal.

"You're supposed to be dead!" agreed his fat friend.

Jack looked himself over. "Am I not?" he slurred. His hand found Ginny's back and he turned her around. There were, however, more of Barbossa's men, weapons raised. Jack and Ginny turned back to the others. The skinny and fat men raised their pistols. "Par-lu-lu-lu-leh-lu-lo… Parsnips, parsley, partner… Partner?" Jack mumbled incoherently.

Ginny squinted at Jack in confusion. "Parlay?" suggested the skinny pirate.

"That's it! That's the one! Parlay!" bellowed Jack in joy. Ginny closed her eyes to hide her amusement.

"Parlay?" growled the fat one in disbelief. Ginny looked at Jack, smirking. "Down to the depths whatever man thought of parlay!"

Jack placed his fingers on the barrel of the pistol. "That would be the French."

Ginny smirked. It faltered when a tall, weathered man entered the circle of pirates. A large hat was perched on his greasy head. A large feather stuck out of the hat, waving around proudly. He stared at Jack, his eyes cold and blue like ice. "How the blazes did you get off that island?" said the man. Ginny assumed it was Barbossa.

"When you marooned me on that godforsaken spit of land, you forgot one very important thing, mate," said Jack, leaning against the paddle. The slur and befuddlement was gone from his tone. There was bitterness and spite. Ginny glanced at Jack. His dark eyes were glinting with intelligence that was tinged with malice. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack finished with a grin.

"Ah, well, I won't be making that mistake again," said Barbossa with a roll of his eyes. "Kill him."

Barbossa's crew cocked their pistols and pointed them at Jack. Ginny reached out and grabbed Jack's hand. She stood closer to him. She couldn't let Jack die without her by his side. She wouldn't abandon him. Jack shot a brief glance at her before turning back to Barbossa, who had turned his back on Jack. "The girl's blood didn't work, did it?" Jack asked. Ginny felt Jack give her hand a squeeze. She looked at him in shock.

"Hold yer fire," said Barbossa reluctantly. Ginny looked at Barbossa with thoughtful suspicion. Barbossa turned. "You know whose blood we need." It wasn't a question.

"I know whose blood you need." Jack confirmed.

Barbossa eyed Ginny suddenly. He approached her. "And who is this lovely lass? A gift for me and my crew?" he sneered, playing with a free strand of hair.

Ginny pulled away fiercely. "In your dreams," she snapped.

Barbossa cackled. "Oh, yes. My wildest dreams, dear," he sneered. He turned to Jack, eyebrows raised. "Is this your payment, Jack?"

Ginny let go of Jack's hand quickly, wheeling to stare at him. His expression was unreadable. _Please don't hand me over to him. Jack, don't do it. _"She's not part of this bargain, Barbossa." Jack said firmly, not looking at Ginny.

Ginny relaxed and turned to look at Barbossa. He and the rest of the crew looked disappointed. "Very well. To the ship." said Barbossa. The crew ushered Jack and Ginny along. Ginny felt Jack's fingers weave through her own. Ginny looked at him sharply.

"Just trust me, love," Jack murmured in her ear. "I won't let them touch you."

Ginny looked at him. _Who are you? Where is the child that I knew? The boy that I grew up with? Is he still there, within you? Or are you a completely different person? I still see you. I see a good man beneath all your indifference. I want to know you, Jack. Please. Let me in. _"Thank you." she murmured back.

**…**

**DeLacus: I'm glad you so anxiously await new chapters! This one's for you! I'm also glad you like the flashbacks. There will be many more to come! **


	9. Chapter 9

**_Negotiations _**

"So you expect to leave me standing on some beach with naught but a name while watching you sail away on my ship?" demanded Barbossa with a bemused chuckle.

Jack cringed inwardly at the words. "No, no, no. I expect to leave you standing alone on some beach with absolutely no name at all, watching me sail away on _my_ ship, and I'll shout the name back to you. Savvy?" Jack explained with a grin.

"But that still leaves us with the problem of me standin' on some beach with naught but a name and your word, it's the one I need." said Barbossa, squinting at Jack.

"Of the two of us, I'm the only one who hasn't committed mutiny, therefore it'll be my word we're trusting," Jack grabbed a bright green apple and sat down. He'd been circling the table the whole negotiation. He propped his feet up on the table. "I suppose I should be thanking you, though. If you hadn't marooned me and left me to die, I'd be sharing that curse same as you," Jack drawled. He bit into the apple. The sour and bitterness of the fruit flooded into his mouth. His stomach had been rumbling for quite some time. "Funny ol' world, innit?" Jack said around the bite of apple.

Barbossa smirked at Jack in disgust. Barbossa's cold eyes traveled over Ginny's beautiful form. Ginny stared back coldly. "Jack, I must say, I am surprised that you would bring your strumpet along. Normally you just… Break their hearts and leave. Ye must like this one. That's why ye dressed her in a man's attire. Ye don't want any man to let his eyes wander where they should not." Barbossa said.

Jack glanced at Ginny. Her expression was stony. Jack turned back to Barbossa. "Ginny is just a friend, Hector. Nothing more." Jack said.

Barbossa sneered. "Ah, so she is up for grabs, is she?" He stood, pacing around the table, approaching Ginny with small steps. Jack watched Ginny tense. Barbossa caressed Ginny's face. She stiffened. She jumped up.

"Keep away from me." she said with a trembling voice. Jack glanced at her.

Barbossa was inching toward Ginny. Jack was fixing to step in when Barbossa grabbed Ginny and kissed her. Jack was too shocked to move. But he did. He jumped in between Ginny and Barbossa. "Lay off, mate!" Jack bellowed.

"See? Yer jealous, Sparrow. Ye want this wench for yerself. I know ye. Yer a greedy, selfish, cowardly whoremonger. Ye want Ginny for yerself." Barbossa spat at Jack.

Jack raised his chin defiantly. "You think I want Ginny? Think again. This girl is completely irritable. I can hardly stand her, let alone desire her."

"Wow," muttered Ginny. Jack glanced at her. Ginny looked a little hurt, but there her eyes were bright with fury. "You are completely right, Barbossa. Jack is a man with uncontrollable lusts," Ginny turned to look at Jack. He stared at her coldly. "And I'm a woman, not a girl, you git."

"Don't we know it, dear," said Barbossa. "You are buxom in all the right places."

Ginny looked disgusted. But she didn't get to speak up. One of Barbossa's men entered the cabin. "We are approaching the _Interceptor_."

Barbossa took off. Jack followed without a second glance at Ginny. He was furious with her. He stepped in front of Barbossa's telescope. He couldn't allow a battle. Too many people would get hurt. And his ship would be damaged. "I'm having a thought here, Barbossa. What say you we run up a flag of truce? I scurry over to the Interceptor, and I negotiate the return of your medallion, eh? What say you to that?" Jack said.

Barbossa stared at Jack with inquisition. "Now you see Jack, that's exactly the attitude that lost you the _Pearl_. People are easy to search when they're dead." He nodded to someone, who grabbed Jack and hauled him to the brig. Jack was shoved inside a cell. He turned just in time to see Ginny being thrown into the cell behind him. Jack caught her before she fell into the water on the floor.

"Apparently there's a leak." Jack snapped after some of the crew.

Ginny shoved Jack away roughly. Jack stared at her. _Oh shit. She thinks I was serious! _"I hate this." Ginny spat.

"Love, we won't be locked up in here for long," Jack said gently. Ginny shot him a withering look. Jack sighed. "I only said those things to protect you, love. You are… You are one of the more attractive women I've come across, love. And you do irritate the fire out of me. But I can stand you."

Ginny stared at him with an unreadable expression. "That's beautiful, Jack. You should be a poet," she said sarcastically. Jack looked away. "I don't know how you get any women with that smooth talk." Ginny spat.

Jack looked at her sharply. "I tell lies to women to get in their pants, Ginny! I don't complement women if I mean it."

Ginny stared at him disbelievingly. "I didn't mean I hate you," she muttered. "I meant that I hate being attacked by men left and right. What makes me so beautiful and vulnerable that makes men think that they can take advantage of me?" She finished her speech with a vehement yell.

Jack gazed at her. "Love, you are beautiful. But your spirit is strong. Some men want to see a woman fight. It's attractive in a way, I suppose. Barbossa, however, wanted to get to me. He wanted a rise out of me, love. It has nothing to do with you. This is a personal matter between me and Barbossa. I'm sorry you got involved." he said gently.

Ginny looked at him. "Well, Barbossa seriously misjudged your feelings for me." she snorted.

Jack looked away. "I'm not entirely certain of that." he muttered.

"What are you saying?" Ginny demanded.

Jack looked up. "Only that you've become… A friend, I suppose."

"A friend?" Ginny repeated.

Jack pursed his lips. "An odd sort of friendship, I suppose. But a friendship nonetheless."

"I'm not very good at making friends." said Ginny quietly.

Jack laughed. "Neither am I. Most of mine want me dead, want to slap me or whack me with paddles," he said. Ginny smiled. Jack smiled back. It faded a little. "Not you, though. You stayed behind with me even when you knew it was dangerous. Why?"

Ginny shrugged. "The same reason you saved me in Tortuga. You were wronged, and I couldn't stand for it."

Jack's lips twitched at the corners. "I feel like I know you. From another life."

Ginny blanched. "I don't believe in such things."

Jack tilted his head and peered at her curiously. "Neither do I. It just seems… It's very easy to talk to you, despite the fact that you can irritate the shit out of me. Pardon my French." he said.

Ginny giggled. "And you make me angry like no other."

Jack raised his eyebrows in interest at her. "Why is that, love?"

"You're good. But you act like you don't care. But I know you do. You were always-," Ginny broke off suddenly, looking horrified.

"I was always what? How would you know what I was always like?" Jack demanded, catching her slip of the tongue.

"A… A dream," said Ginny. Jack was sure she was lying. "You were always so brave in the stories. I saw more than just a pirate."

Jack nodded slowly. "I can't stand being in here, not knowing what's happening," he muttered. He crouched beside a hole in the wall. He peered through the hole to watch the events. "We're in line with the _Interceptor_." he announced.

The ship rocked violently as the ships broke out into battle. Jack was thrown from his crouch. He landed in the water that filled the cell. He got up again to peek through the hole. He widened his eyes at the oncoming danger. He jumped away, tackling Ginny to the floor as the hull was blasted. He turned back to the hole, which was now a gaping cavity. "Stop blowing holes in my ship!" Jack bellowed angrily.

"Jack," said Ginny suddenly. Jack turned. He grinned as Ginny pushed open the cell door. Ginny looked back at Jack, her eyebrows raised. "Let's go." Jack led the way through the doorway. They hurried on deck. The battle was causing a tremendous amount of confusion. Jack took Ginny by the hand and led her to the railing. He caught a rope and climbed nimbly onto the rail.

"C'mon, love," he said, holding his hand out to her. Ginny accepted his hand. He haled her up beside him. He wrapped an arm around Ginny's waist. "Hold on, love." Ginny held onto him. Jack gripped the rope tightly. He swung over to the _Interceptor_. He and Ginny knocked someone into the water. The rope wobbled, sending Jack and Ginny back toward the _Pearl_. They swung back over. Jack let go of the rope. They dropped aboard the _Interceptor_. Jack landed on top of Ginny. He looked down at her. Their eyes met for a split second. Jack got up quickly. He helped Ginny to her feet.

"Elizabeth!" Ginny cried. Jack turned to see Elizabeth was about to be slaughtered. He hurried over to the lass. He caught the attacker's wrist.

"That's not very nice," Jack said. While her attacker was distracted, Elizabeth hit him in the stomach and then in the face. Ginny came up behind the man and pushed him overboard. Jack grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders and crouched down, out of the path of the crossfire. "Where's the medallion?" Jack growled.

Elizabeth stared at him. "Wretch!" she shouted, attempting to hit him. Jack caught her wrist and looked at her recently bandaged hand.

"Ah, and where is dear William?" he asked with a smile.

"Will," Elizabeth breathed, looking away. She hurried away. Jack noticed something gold glinting in the paws of a wretched creature.

"Monkey!" Jack cried. He hurried after the simian, crawling over a fallen beam. He needed the medallion, or he had nothing to bargain with-!

He stopped, seeing the boots of a man he wanted nothing more than to shoot. He smiled up at Barbossa sheepishly. "Why thank ye, Jack." drawled Barbossa.

"You're welcome." Jack said, hating Barbossa more with every passing second.

"Not you, we named the monkey Jack," said Barbossa, his blue eyes glinting. _Go die in a hole in the desert with snakes. _"Gents, our hope is restored!" cried Barbossa.

…

Ginny watched Elizabeth screech and cry in agony over Will's death. Barbossa grabbed Elizabeth. "Welcome back, Miss. You took advantage of our hospitality already. It's time you return the favor." sneered Barbossa. He shoved Elizabeth into the groping hands of his crew.

Barbossa stopped in his tracks upon seeing Ginny. He leaned toward her. She resisted the urge to flinch away. She glared at Barbossa. "Don't touch me." she gritted out.

Barbossa caressed Ginny's cheek. He leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I know who ye are, Ginny Stormmare." he breathed.

Icy dread trickled into Ginny's stomach. She felt the color drain from her face. Barbossa grinned at her as he backed away. Elizabeth was screaming. Ginny simply gaped at Barbossa. _How does he know who I am? The only people who know I'm not a true Swann are Elizabeth and Will. Even they do not know my true last name. How does this lying scumbag know my name? _"Barbossa!" cried a new voice. Ginny looked to see Will, soaking wet but alive. She smiled. Will, however, wasn't in a smiling mood. He glared at Barbossa with intensity, a pistol raised at Barbossa's face. "She goes free." Will said, glaring at Barbossa with hatred.

"What's in yer head, boy?" demanded Barbossa.

"She goes free!" Will repeated.

"You've got only one shot, and we can't die." said Barbossa.

"Don't do anything stupid!" Ginny heard Jack whisper.

"You can't," said Will. He pointed his pistol at himself. "I can."

"Like that." muttered Jack. Ginny looked at him. He looked extremely agitated and disappointed.

"Who are you?" demanded Barbossa.

"No one! He's no one! A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew, twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though. _Eunuch_." Jack said quickly, approaching Barbossa.

"My name is Will Turner. My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins." said Will.

Jack grimaced and stood near Ginny. "He's the spitting image of ol' Bootstrap Bill come back to haunt us!" cried the skinny pirate.

"Shut up, Ragetti." Jack muttered irritably. Ginny narrowed her eyes. She looked toward Barbossa and Will.

"On my word, do as I say or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones's Locker!" cried Will.

"Name yer terms, Mr. Turner." said Barbossa.

"Elizabeth goes free!" cried Will vehemently.

"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?" said Barbossa sarcastically.

Ginny looked at Jack, who was frantically pointing at himself. She rolled her eyes. "And Ginny goes free as well. And the crew. The crew is not to be harmed."

Barbossa stepped forward. "Agreed."

…

"Barbossa, you lying bastard! You swore they'd go free!" yowled Will.

Barbossa turned to glare at Will. "Don't ye dare impugn me honor, boy. I agreed they'd go free, but it was you who failed to specify when or where!" he snapped. Jack sighed. _Will, you're an idiot. _"Though it does seem a shame to lose such a fine thing, eh, lad?" Barbossa added as Will was gagged.

"Aye!" agreed some of the pirates.

"So I'll be havin' the dress back." said Barbossa to Elizabeth.

"I always liked you." Jack muttered to one of the crewmen. He snorted at Jack. Elizabeth began stripping of the maroon dress. Some men whistled and called out obscenities.

Elizabeth thrust the dress into Barbossa's gnarled hands. "Goes with your black heart." she growled.

Barbossa sneered. "It's still warm." he announced, tossing it to some men. Elizabeth inched along the plank. She looked back at Will. Jack watched them share a long look.

"Too long!" growled Bo'sun. He stomped on the plank, causing it to shake violently, sending Elizabeth into the sea with a yelp. Jack watched in concern as Barbossa grabbed Ginny.

"On yer way, dearie," said Barbossa. Ginny stared at him, her eyes wide. "Or I'll spill yer secret."

Ginny's eyes flared. "And how have you come by my secret in the first place?"

"Wouldn't ye like to know," jeered Barbossa. "Now go. Go where none will miss ye. Ye have no family to miss ye, anyway."

Jack frowned and narrowed his eyes. Wasn't Ginny a Swann? Ginny didn't take Barbossa's jab well. She slapped him. "How dare you speak of things you know nothing about?"

Barbossa cackled. "Seal my lips with a kiss, Ginny. I shan't utter another word if ye kiss me."

Jack widened his eyes. Ginny looked disgusted. But to everyone's surprise, she pressed her lips against Barbossa's. Jack felt sick. _She shouldn't have to do this. Exchange her beauty for protection… _"That's enough snogging for one day." said Jack, stepping in. Barbossa broke off the kiss. His fingers lightly traced Ginny's cheek.

"Yer secret is safe with me." he said. Ginny looked sick. She turned and walked the plank quickly. Jack watched her reach the end, his brow furrowed in concern. Ginny made no fuss. She simply dove elegantly off the plank and into the sea.

Jack turned to Barbossa. "I'd really rather hoped we were past all this."

"Jack, Jack, Jack," said Barbossa, patting Jack on the back. "Did ya not notice? That be the same little island we made you governor of our last little trip."

Jack looked at the island with contempt. He turned back to Barbossa. "I did notice."

"Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escape, but I doubt it," said Barbossa. He brandished his sword, aiming the tip at Jack's neck. Jack pursed his lips. "Off you go." said Barbossa.

"Last time, you left me a pistol with one shot." Jack reminded his former first mate.

"By the powers, you're right. Where be Jack's pistol? Bring it forward." said Barbossa. Someone did as Barbossa commanded.

"Seeing as there's three of us now, a gentleman would grant us with another pair of pistols." said Jack, somewhat hopefully.

"It'll be one pistol as before. And you can be the gentleman and choose a lady to shoot and starve to death yerself." snapped Barbossa. He tossed Jack's effects into the ocean. Jack grimaced and dove into the sea.

**…**

**DeLacus: I'm glad you find them adorable, even though they argue a lot, lol. I hope Jack doesn't seem too OOC because he's protecting Ginny. They have a weird relationship. **

**Thanks for reading, please review guys! **


	10. Chapter 10

**_True Intentions _**

Ginny stared at the rapidly disappearing ship, clouded in a black fog. "That's the second time I've had to watch that man sail away with my ship." said Jack bitterly.

"Ginny, let's take a walk." said Elizabeth, her own tone full of bitterness.

Ginny sighed and followed Elizabeth. "What is it?" Ginny asked, not wanting to beat around the bush.

"How are you?" said Elizabeth.

"Spectacular," replied Ginny, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "What's really got you frazzled, Elizabeth? What do you want to talk about?"

"We need to find a way to save Will." said Elizabeth.

Ginny paused. "Elizabeth, what can we do right now?"

"Find a way off this island. Jack was marooned before; he can help us again." said Elizabeth.

"Lizzie, it might not be that easy." Ginny replied hesitantly.

"You're right," muttered Elizabeth. "I doubt Jack will want to help us. He's a pirate, after all."

Ginny huffed. "Meaning?" she prompted irritably.

"He can't be trusted," said Elizabeth, looking back to make sure Jack wasn't within earshot. They were safe; Jack wasn't even within sight.

"Elizabeth, I'll have you know, Jack saved my life in Tortuga, and in Port Royal. That gives him two tallies as my savior now." Ginny said icily.

Elizabeth stared at Ginny. "Probably to get within your good graces. I'm sure he thinks his servitude to you will pay off handsomely."

"Implying what, Elizabeth?" replied Ginny.

"I'm sure Jack merely wants you to himself." said Elizabeth, glaring at Ginny.

"How dare you? Jack has protected my virtue more than once now. He's a good man." Ginny snapped.

"Have you fallen for him?" queried Elizabeth, aghast.

"Of course not!" replied Ginny honestly. "But I have grown fond of him. He has saved my life and I have saved his. He's my friend, Elizabeth. His heart is in the right place."

Elizabeth snorted. "Well, since the two of you are such mates now, I assume he told you of his history with Barbossa?"

"A monkey could've guessed their history!" snarled Ginny.

"And so I'm sure you know that Will's blood is the blood needed to lift the curse." said Elizabeth.

"Yes." Ginny replied.

"And you know Jack was willing to trade Will's life for a ship?" orated Elizabeth haughtily.

Ginny met Elizabeth's furious gaze calmly. "Yes."

"And you are all right with that?" demanded Elizabeth, looking horrified.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Of course not. But you don't know the whole story. Nor do you know Jack."

"And you do?" Elizabeth challenged.

Ginny shifted uncomfortably. "I…" She swallowed. "I did, once."

Elizabeth's whole demeanor changed. Her fury vanished, only to be replaced with absolute shock. "You knew Jack?" she cried.

"Keep it down!" Ginny hissed, looking around frantically. "It's complicated. He doesn't know who I am. And I don't want him to. The past is just too painful."

Elizabeth was staring at Ginny with wonder. "Were you lovers?" she asked.

Ginny gave Elizabeth an are-you-kidding-me look. "No. We spent a good deal of our childhood together." Ginny answered.

Elizabeth was still staring at Ginny with a mixture of awe and perplexity. "So you knew him before you came to London? Before your mother…?"

Ginny looked at her feet, digging her toes in the sand. "Yes." she muttered.

"Why don't you want Jack to know?" Elizabeth asked, her tone quiet and gentle.

Ginny sighed, looking past Elizabeth at the waves crashing upon the beach. "For some reason, Jack doesn't remember. If I were to tell him, he'd think I was mad. Another reason, the past is just too painful. I don't think I can relive it."

Elizabeth sighed. "But that was many years ago, Ginny. He doesn't even remember. I doubt Jack Sparrow is the boy you once knew."

Ginny looked at her sister. "But he is, Lizzie. I've caught glimpses of him."

"Glimpses!" snapped Elizabeth.

"The boy I knew is there, Lizzie. Jack doesn't show it much, but he's there. If you're so concerned about Jack's true intentions, ask him yourself. But don't mention what I told you." Ginny said.

Elizabeth nodded. "All right." she said.

"Elizabeth!" Ginny said, grabbing her sister by the arm. "I mean it. He must not know."

"All right," said Elizabeth impatiently. She stalked toward Jack. Ginny cringed, seeing their footprints in the sand from earlier. They'd already walked the island.

"Not all that big, is it?" said Jack, cleaning his pistol.

"If you're going to shoot me, please do so without delay." said Elizabeth.

Jack stared at Elizabeth. "Is there a problem between us, Miss Swann?" he stated bluntly.

Ginny shifted and avoided Jack's curious gaze. "You were going to tell Barbossa about Will in exchange for a ship." seethed Elizabeth.

"We could use a ship," Jack pointed out. Ginny met his irritated gaze. She pursed her lips in a grim smile. "The fact is I was not going to tell Barbossa about bloody Will in exchange for a ship. Because as long as he didn't know about bloody Will, I had something to bargain with, which now no one has, thanks to bloody, stupid Will." Jack finished cynically.

"Oh." said Elizabeth.

"Oh." repeated Jack mockingly, getting to his feet.

"He still risked his life to save ours." said Elizabeth.

"Ha!" cried Jack. Ginny watched Jack stalk away, rolling her eyes.

"Well we have to do something to rescue him!" Elizabeth persisted, following Jack.

He stopped and turned, shooing her away. "Off you go, then! Let me know how that turns out."

Ginny sighed and scurried after both Elizabeth and Jack. "But you were marooned on this island before, weren't you? We can escape in the same way you did then!" cried Elizabeth.

Jack stopped and turned. "To what point and purpose, young missy?" he growled. "The Black Pearl is gone and unless you have a rudder and a lot of sails hidden in that bodice" –Jack looked Elizabeth over –"unlikely… Young Mr. Turner will be dead long before you can reach him." Jack sounded grim at the end, but Ginny wasn't sure if that was just wistful thinking or not. Could there still be good in Jack? She was fairly certain there was –he had saved her multiple times –but Jack was complex. He was a hard man to figure out.

"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow. You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot. Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?" Elizabeth opined vehemently. Ginny stared at Jack imploringly. His gaze flickered from Ginny to Elizabeth and back again.

His tongue poked his cheek. "Last time, I was here a grand total of three days, all right?" he snapped. He turned and opened a trapdoor in the ground. He descended into the darkness below. "Last time, the rumrunners used this place as a cache. They came by, and I was able to barter a passage off. From the looks of things, they've been out of business for a long time. Probably have your bloody friend Norrington to thank for that." Jack emerged, three dusty bottles of rum in his hands.

"So that's it, then? That's the secret! You spent three days, lying on a beach, drinking rum?" said Elizabeth. She sounded very upset.

Ginny was a bit disappointed, too. _What, no sea turtles? _Jack shrugged. "Welcome to the Caribbean, love." he said. He pushed past Elizabeth and Ginny, making his way back to the beach. Ginny followed, suddenly desperate for some real answers.

"Is there no truth to any of the stories?" Ginny demanded.

Jack dropped his bottles of rum, looking extremely serious. "Truth?" he repeated. He lifted up the sleeve on his right hand, revealing the branded 'P' on his arm. He lifted the sleeve of his other arm, exposing a nasty scar. He pulled back the collar of his shirt to unmask two burn marks that looked fairly recent. The marks on his chest were probably only a few months old. Ginny grimaced. "No truth at all," Jack finished. He sat down. "We still have a month, maybe more. Keep an eye open for passing ships and our chances are fair." He took a swig of rum.

"What about Will? We have to do something." said Elizabeth quietly.

"You're absolutely right," said Jack. He sounded tired. He rolled a bottle of rum to Elizabeth. Jack raised a different bottle. "Here's luck to you, Will Turner." Jack said, raising the bottle. He took a swig. Ginny caught Elizabeth's eye and shrugged. She walked over and picked up the other bottle and sat on Jack's right. She uncorked the bottle and sipped the spicy beverage.

Elizabeth sat on Jack's left. "Drink up me hearties, yo ho." Elizabeth muttered, sipping from her bottle. Ginny and Jack looked at her.

"What was that, Elizabeth?" Jack asked.

"It's Miss Swann." Elizabeth corrected him sharply.

Jack raised his palms in mock surrender. "It's something we would say as children," Ginny explained.

"I always thought it would've been exciting to meet a pirate." admitted Elizabeth.

"Let's hear it," said Jack.

"No." replied Elizabeth.

"Why not? We have the time. C'mon, let's have it." said Jack.

"No!" Elizabeth insisted.

Ginny bit her lip. _This could be my only chance to find out more about Jack's past… _"I always thought Elizabeth had been insane, wanting to meet a pirate." she said.

Elizabeth shot Ginny a glare. "Well, apparently, you'd come across your fair share of pirates." she snapped.

Icy dread trickled into Ginny's stomach. _Shut up, Elizabeth! _"You two aren't really sisters, are you?" said Jack.

Ginny and Elizabeth looked at him. "What do you mean?" Ginny demanded.

"You don't look a whole lot alike," Jack stated. "You've got blue eyes and Miss Swann's got brown eyes. She's tall and you're average. She has no curves and you do."

"That's rude," snapped Elizabeth.

Ginny smirked. "He's right, though," she said.

"You're not fat," Jack said quickly.

Ginny busted out laughing. "Of course I'm not," she said. "Elizabeth seems thinner than me because she's tall."

"Aye," said Jack. He took a sip of rum. "So, you're not sisters, then."

"We didn't say that," said Elizabeth slowly. She glanced at Ginny.

Ginny pressed her lips together. She sighed. "No, we are not sisters by blood. But we are by bond."

Jack nodded. "You're adopted?"

One corner of Ginny's mouth pulled downward into a frown. "Not exactly," she admitted. "Governor Swann and Elizabeth took me in. It was after her mother had died, and mine had been killed. I was living on the streets of London, avoiding the orphanages. Elizabeth hid me in her attic for a while. She snuck me food and clothes… But her father eventually discovered me. Instead of turning me away, he took me in. Since both of our mothers had died, it made sense to be friends… And whenever we talked about our passed mothers, people assumed that we were talking about the same person. I always liked to think that I looked a bit like the Swanns." she explained.

Jack was staring at her with soft thoughtfulness. "Why didn't you live with other family after your mother died?"

Ginny looked away. "I didn't have any family left," she muttered. She looked at Jack. "What about you? Where do you come from?" she asked. _Please. Why don't you remember me? Or is that a lie? _

"I don't remember, love. I told you I don't remember some things. Well, those things are my childhood. I don't remember any of it. All I have are nightmares." Jack replied.

Ginny stared at him. "How did that happen?"

Jack shrugged. "I dunno. I just woke up one day and didn't remember."

Ginny looked at the sand. "That's so strange."

"What secret is Barbossa supposed to keep?" Jack asked.

Ginny looked at Jack, her mouth open to tell him to shove off. But she couldn't form the words. She stuttered for a heartbeat before closing her mouth and looking at her hands briefly. "He knows I'm not a Swann."

"Why does that matter so much?" Jack asked.

Ginny looked at him sharply. "Because my mother was murdered for a reason, Jack," she snapped. "It's dangerous for me and anyone close to me."

"What's your actual name, then?" Jack asked.

Ginny frowned at Jack. "I can't tell you," she said.

"I don't even know her real name." said Elizabeth.

"My name before Swann was…" Ginny trailed off, eyeing Jack curiously. _If I say it, will he react? If he does, then I'll know he's lying about not remembering me. If he doesn't, then I'll know he's being honest. _"It was Stormmare."

Nothing. No response. _My God… He truly doesn't remember me at all. _"How does Barbossa know that?" Jack asked.

Ginny sighed. "I honestly have no idea."

**...**

**DeLacus: Ginny does seem to get taken advantage of a lot, doesn't she? I'm glad you enjoy it so much, thanks for reviewing!**

**mia: I'm so glad you love it! That means a lot to me. And here ya go :) **


	11. Chapter 11

**_Smoke and Rum _**

"Me thinks we should sing! Lots o' songs! Tis a happy night!" Jack shouted. He got to his feet, stumbling a bit. Was he drunk? _I don't think I'm drunk… I only had one… two… three… four bottles of rum! _

"I love singing!" agreed Ginny, jumping to her feet. She hiccupped. Jack laughed. "Lizzie, let's teach him our song!"

"All right," giggled Elizabeth. "It goes like this…"

Jack listened with a serious face as Ginny and Elizabeth sang their pirate song, teaching it to him. It seemed a bit odd, Ginny and Miss Swann teaching him a song for pirates. But he listened and learned anyway. He was always a good learner. "Let's dance!" Jack declared. He began dancing around the bonfire, the smell of smoke filled his lungs. His eyes strung with the fumes, but he didn't care. They began to sing, dancing around the fire clumsily.

"We're devils and black sheep and really bad eggs, drink up me hearties, yo ho!" Jack bellowed with Ginny and Elizabeth. "Yo ho, yo ho! A pirate's life for me!"

"I love this song!" Jack declared. He grabbed Ginny by the waist and twirled with her. She laughed. It was a beautiful sound. "Really bad eggs!" Jack fell backward. He tugged both Elizabeth and Ginny down on either side of him. "When I get the _Pearl_ back, I'll teach it to the whole crew. And we'll sing all the time!"

"And you'll be the most fearsome pirate in the whole Spanish Main?" demanded Elizabeth.

"Not just the Spanish Main, love. The entire ocean! The entire world! Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails. That's what a ship needs. But what a ship is, what the _Black_ _Pearl_ really is, is freedom." Jack replied. _My freedom. My freedom from my past, a past I don't even remember. _

"Jack, it must be terrible for you, being trapped on this island again." said Elizabeth, leaning into Jack.

"And Barbossa, taking your ship from you." added Ginny. Jack put his arm over Ginny's shoulders.

"Oh yes," he said. "But the company is infinitely better than last time, I think. The scenery has definitely improved."

"Mr. Sparrow, I'm not entirely sure I've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk." said Elizabeth.

Jack grinned. "I know exactly what you mean, love." He curled the ends of his mustache to look enhance his devilish machismo.

"To freedom." toasted Ginny.

"To the _Black_ _Pearl_," Jack added. He clanked his bottle against hers and began drinking deeply. His vision began fading, becoming black around the edges. It darkened continuously until Jack could see nothing at all.

…

Ginny's head ached. She opened her eyes. The brightness stung her eyes and burned her brain. Her head throbbed. She shielded her face from what she assumed was the sun. She buried her face in a white fabric that smelled of seawater, spices and rum. It wasn't an unpleasant smell, but it wasn't necessarily a lovely fragrance, either.

"GINNY." someone shouted. Ginny hissed in pain as the loud voice bounced around her skull, causing it to hammer with pain.

"Stop yelling." Ginny grumbled. She nuzzled deeper into the crook of the thing she was cuddling. She wasn't sure what it was. She was fairly certain it was a body.

"I'M NOT YELLING." said the person.

Ginny groaned. "Shut up."

"Ginny, wake up." said the voice, whispering in Ginny's ear. The person shook Ginny.

"What do you want?" Ginny grumbled.

"It's time to wake up." said the voice. Ginny recognized it to be Elizabeth's.

Ginny could smell smoke. She could hear the ocean crashing onto the shore and a fire crackling. She opened her eyes. She was curled up next to Jack, her face nestled in the notch of Jack's neck. She pulled away quickly, her head rushing at her abruptness. She blinked against the brightness and looked at Elizabeth, petrified. "Did anything… Happen?" Ginny asked.

Elizabeth smirked and shook her head. "No. Come on." Elizabeth stood. Ginny looked to see a large bonfire. The trees, the crates, the bottles of rum, all of it was burning. The whole island! Ginny stared.

"Elizabeth, what have you done?" Ginny asked, horrified.

Elizabeth looked at Ginny, her face pinched with confusion. "Don't you think Father is looking for us? It's a smoke signal."

"That's too risky a gamble to play, Elizabeth! What if they're not looking for us?" Ginny said. "Then we'll starve!"

"It's better than doing nothing!" snapped Elizabeth. "Or perhaps you want to get raging drunk again and fall asleep in Jack's arms? Maybe you and Jack can engage in sweet debaucheries, the kind Jack is infamous for."

Ginny glared at Elizabeth. "How dare you?" Ginny breathed, her voice barely containing her rage.

Elizabeth shrugged. "I think you're not telling the truth. Maybe you two knew each other as children, maybe not. But I think that you two were lovers at one point. Or perhaps you wanted to be, but Jack didn't reciprocate?"

"You bitch!" Ginny spat. She leaned in toward Elizabeth, who suddenly looked extremely afraid. "Jack and I were friends. We grew up together, and that is all. He doesn't remember. I don't want him to remember. It's too painful. I've never desired him. And he has never desired me. I'm not angry because I won't spend every night drinking rum and hoping to get into Jack's pants. I'm angry because this could be damning us!"

"They're looking for us, Ginny. You think they won't see it?" demanded Elizabeth.

"You!" Ginny cried, backing away from Elizabeth. "They're not looking for me! They're looking for _you_!"

Elizabeth's eyes filled with tears. "Ginny, Father loves you. He's looking for you, too."

Ginny shook her head. "Maybe he does. But if they're looking for anyone, it's you. The perfect child. The beautiful, sinless, proper, lovely governor's daughter! They're not looking for me. And they won't look for Will."

"Ginny, you're the governor's daughter, too! You and Will are both good and proper." said Elizabeth.

Ginny grimaced. "Don't you understand? We broke the law! We will face the gallows for saving you!"

Elizabeth looked away. "I refuse to believe that." She walked away, toward her bonfire. She picked up a wooden crate of goods and tossed it into the flames. The conflagration exploded. Elizabeth stumbled. Ginny watched her in disbelief.

Jack had woken. He got up, looking horrified. "No! Not good!" He rushed toward Elizabeth, flailing his arms. "Stop! Not good! What have you done? You burned all the food, the shade! The rum!"

"Yes, the rum is gone." replied Elizabeth matter-of-factly.

"But why is the rum gone?" Jack demanded, looking absolutely dismayed. Elizabeth was walking toward the shore, her eyes scanning the horizon for a passing ship.

She turned on her heel to glare at Jack. "One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me. Do you think there is even the slightest chance that they won't see it?" Elizabeth shot a withering glare at Ginny.

"But why is the rum gone?" Jack repeated desperately.

Elizabeth plopped down in the sand. "Just wait, Captain Sparrow. Give it an hour, maybe two, you'll see white sails on that horizon."

Ginny rolled her eyes and stalked past Elizabeth and Jack, arms crossed. "Must've been terrible for you to be trapped here, Jack. Must've been terrible for you!" Jack's voice mimicked Elizabeth's to annoying perfection. Ginny smirked. "Well it bloody is now!" bellowed Jack. Ginny turned to look at him.

"Sorry about your rum, Jack." she stated flatly.

Jack glared at her. "Don't tell me you weren't part of that little devil's scheme!" he snapped.

"I wasn't," Ginny replied. "Elizabeth's being stupid. Her plan will probably work. But in the process she's going to get you, Will and me arrested and killed… If they even find Will. They probably won't even look for him."

Jack stared at Ginny, eyebrows raised. "Is there a problem between you and Miss Swann?" he asked.

Ginny pursed her lips. "She just said some things that… That were out of line."

"Like what?" Jack prompted.

Ginny stared at him. She wanted to tell him. She wanted him to be her best friend again, the person she went to for anything and everything. But she couldn't allow herself to trust him, to trust herself. It was just too dangerous. "It doesn't matter."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "It sounds like it does."

Ginny shrugged. "I think I made it pretty clear to her that she went too far. I'll get over it. I always do."

Jack was gazing at Ginny with measured pensiveness. "You haven't had it very easy, have you?"

Ginny smirked at Jack. "Just now figuring that out, eh?"

Jack grinned. "I connected the dots, yeah."

Ginny sighed. "You could say that I haven't had it very easy, yeah. That's the simplest way of saying it."

Jack opened his mouth to respond, but something behind Ginny caught his eye. Ginny looked to see a ship with white sails approaching the island. "There'll be no living with her after this." Jack muttered.

Ginny looked at him. "And there might not be any living at all."

…

"But we've got to save Will!" cried Elizabeth.

"No. You're safe now. We're going to return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates." replied Governor Swann. Ginny hung back, hoping to keep out of her adopted father's sight. It was a ridiculous notion, but she still tried her best to stay hidden.

"Then we condemn him to death." snapped Elizabeth, following her father angrily.

"The boy's fate is regrettable, but then so was his decision to engage in piracy." said Governor Swann.

"To rescue me, to prevent anything from happening to me!" cried Elizabeth desperately.

Ginny glanced at Jack. "If I may be so bold as to interject my professional opinion, the Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll make good time. Think about it: the _Black_ _Pearl_. The last real pirate threat in the Caribbean, mate. How can you pass that up?" Jack exclaimed.

Norrington glared at Jack with distaste. "By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow, not only myself." he said coolly.

Ginny sighed as Norrington turned his back on them to approach the helm. Elizabeth looked at Ginny with wide, sorrowful eyes. Ginny closed her eyes briefly. "Then do it for me," Ginny called after James. "As a wedding gift." she added for emphasis. James turned to stare at her. Everyone, in fact, was staring at her.

"Ginny," said Governor Swann, sounding bubbly with excitement. "Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?"

"I am," Ginny replied, keeping her eyes locked on James's.

"A wedding?" said Jack in disbelief. "I love weddings! Drinks all around!" Ginny and James glanced at him. Jack's eyes met hers briefly. Ginny was bewildered to see disappointment in Jack's gaze. Jack raised his wrists up to James. "I know. Clap him in irons, right?"

"Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with the bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase 'silent as the grave'. Do I make myself clear?" said James, approaching Jack step by step.

Jack stared at James with a sardonic smirk. "Inescapably." Two men grabbed Jack by the arms and led him up to the helm.

James approached Ginny, but Governor Swann stepped forward. "Is this wise?" he questioned.

James looked at Governor Swann steadily. "Mr. Turner is a citizen of Port Royal and under the protection of the Crown, and therefore my responsibility." he answered.

Governor Swann looked at Ginny. "I hope you know the strings I will have to pull in order to keep you from the gallows, Ginny." he said sternly.

Ginny looked at her hands. "Yes, Father. I apologize for your troubles, and I am grateful for your mercy."

"Never mind that, Ginny. I am overjoyed that you are safe." said Governor Swann, pulling Ginny into a tight embrace. Ginny hugged him back.

"May I have a moment?" asked James. Ginny pulled away from Governor Swann and turned to James. He offered his arm to her. Ginny accepted and walked with James to the side of the ship. "I have to ask… I am sorry to say… I have doubts about our engagement… I think that your acceptance to my proposal is less than sincere." said James.

Ginny glanced at him. "My answer would have been the same, whether you chose to rescue Will or not."

James's smile was barely contained. "Well, then, I look forward to the end of this and our return home."

Ginny dipped her head to him as James left her. She looked at the sea, watching it glitter in the sea. "Why did you do that?" asked Elizabeth, joining Ginny.

Ginny looked at her. "It was the right thing to do."

"But… Marriage is a lifelong commitment, Ginny." said Elizabeth.

Ginny sighed. "I know the meaning of marriage, Elizabeth."

"But I am worried you did this just to save Will. I am worried that this is a rash action." said Elizabeth.

Ginny looked at her. "I have thought about this, Elizabeth. It is logically and socially acceptable to marry James. I would marry him, either way. But, I did use it to push him to save Will. For you."

Elizabeth grimaced. "Ginny, although it is a logical notion, the fact remains that you don't love James. You can't do this just for me."

Ginny winced. "I can grow to love him. I don't love him because I don't know him. And it's not just for you. It's for Will, too."

"But Ginny… I am worried for you. This… Why? I thought you hated me…" whispered Elizabeth.

Ginny stared at her. "That's a stupid thing to say. I don't hate you. You stepped over the line with the words you spoke in anger, but I forgive you."

Elizabeth pressed her lips together. "I'm sorry, Ginny."

"I have already forgiven you." Ginny replied. She turned away from her sister. She couldn't be around Elizabeth anymore. She was still hurt and angry from Elizabeth's spiteful words. Ginny walked away.

"Ginny, those clothes are ridiculous. You're dressed as a pirate!" cried Governor Swann.

Ginny looked down at herself. She had grown quite fond of her loose clothing. "Oh, I… Er, I wanted to… I needed…" Her mind began racing, thinking of an excuse. "It protected me from scoundrels."

"And whose idea was it to defile your womanhood?" demanded Governor Swann.

Ginny opened her mouth, prepared to lie, but Jack beat her to it. "It was mine, actually." he said, joining them.

Governor Swann looked at him with disgust. "I can't wait to have you hanged."

Jack lifted his chin. "It was actually to protect her from the men attempting to steal her virtue in the most ungracious manner."

Ginny gaped at him. She looked at her adopted father. "It's true. Jack saved my life. He doesn't deserve to be hanged."

"Ginny! You will not speak in such ways! You cannot defend this man, this pirate. Go to the captain's cabin." snapped Governor Swann.

Ginny sighed, giving Jack an apologetic look and walking away to the captain's cabin.

…

Jack looked around for a familiar and friendly face. His eyes fell upon Elizabeth. No. No, she wasn't a friend. He looked around some more. Ah. There was the face he was looking for. He approached Ginny with his hands clasped behind his back. Ginny looked over at him. The moonlight was reflecting off Ginny's hair, making it appear silver. She gave him a soft and gentle smile. Jack glanced at her lips. They were plump and a soft pink. Jack looked away quickly. He liked admiring beautiful women, but Ginny was different. She was a friend, not a plaything. He looked into her eyes, which were a luminescent silver.

"You didn't tell James about the curse." Ginny said gently.

Jack pressed his lips together in a grim smile. "I noticed neither did you," he said. He glanced at her again. "Same reason, I imagine."

"He wouldn't have risked it," Ginny muttered.

Jack looked at her. "You could've gotten him drunk. You didn't have to marry him," he said. Ginny looked at him, her eyes sharp. Jack gave her a genuine, tender smile. "Don't get me wrong, love. I admire a person who's willing to do whatever is necessary." he said, surprised by how soft his voice sounded.

"You're a smart man, Jack," Ginny said, looking Jack dead in the eyes. "But I don't entirely trust you."

Jack smirked and moved in closer to her. "Peas in a pod, darling."

Ginny smiled at him. It faded when she saw something over Jack's shoulder. Jack looked to see Norrington. Jack and Ginny jumped away from each other. Norrington tossed Jack his compass. "With me, Sparrow." Norrington said shortly.

Jack gave Ginny one last look of farewell and then walked away. His heart clenched oddly. Was this the last time he'd see her? Why did he even care? _I don't care about her… Much… She's a friend, I guess. But is she really a friend? We barely know each other, and we don't entirely trust each other… I don't want to never see her again… But I guess I don't really have a choice._

**...**

** 1: Thank you for pointing that out. Neither of those slip ups should be there. I will go and fix it as soon as possible. And thank you, I'm glad you like it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**_Monsters_**

"No! You can't let them go in there! There's a curse!" screeched Elizabeth.

"Don't worry, Miss. Commodore Norrington already knows. A little mermaid flopped on deck and explained the whole thing earlier." said Gillette with a chuckle.

He slammed the doors. "This is Jack Sparrow's doing!" Elizabeth yelled after him. She wheeled to look at Ginny. "We have to do something."

Ginny stared at her sister. "What? What can we do?" she demanded. _I'm way ahead of you, Lizzie. But this is too dangerous for you to get involved in. _

"I don't know! Escape somehow…" said Elizabeth.

Ginny laughed without humor. "Lizzie, what will we do? Tie sheets together and rescue the crew of the _Interceptor_?" She was kidding, but Elizabeth looked serious.

"Ginny, that's brilliant! Help me tie some sheets." she said.

"No." Ginny replied firmly.

"Why not?" replied Elizabeth, crestfallen.

"Because I have to use the restroom." Ginny answered. She turned from Elizabeth's dumbfounded face and rapped her knuckles against the door.

"What?" asked the guard.

"I need to use the loo." Ginny called.

The guard groaned. "Can't it wait?"

"No," replied Ginny. "I can't hold it!"

"Fine," snapped the guard. He opened the door. Ginny slid out. "This way," said the guard. He led her below deck to an area where a chamber pot sat. Ginny sidled toward it. She eyed the guard skeptically.

"I can't do it with you watching me!" she snapped. The guard rolled his eyes and turned away, muttering about women, small bladders and privacy. Ginny picked up the chamber pot and crept up behind the guard. She hit him in the head with a loud clang. She dropped the pot, which was luckily empty. "Gross," she muttered, wringing her hands in disgust. She stepped over the body of the guard. He was still breathing. Ginny sighed in relief. She took his sword and slipped it into her belt. She hurried up the stairs and onto the main deck.

"Miss Swann!" cried Gillette, running toward her. Ginny cursed under her breath. She looked to her left and sprinted toward the side of the ship. She climbed onto the railing and dove into the sea.

The water was chilly in the night. Ginny opened her eyes. She didn't have any difficulty seeing, even in the water at night. The moonlight lit the water. She came up for air, even though her lungs weren't screaming for breath. She reached the shore and waded onto the rocky beach. She crept through the cave. She could hear voices, so she found a spot against the wall of the cave and peered around it.

The pirates were gathered around a mound of gold, where Barbossa stood with Will, who was bound. The chest of cursed gold sat in front of them ominously. "Where's Elizabeth?" demanded Will.

"She's safe, just like I promised. Ginny's all set to marry Norrington, just like she promised. And you get to die for Elizabeth like you promised. So we're all men of our word, really," replied Jack, his tone slightly bitter. "Except for Ginny, who is, in fact, a woman."

Ginny snorted to herself. "Shut up! You're next." snapped Barbossa, leaning in to kill Will.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate." Jack said quickly yet casually.

Barbossa leered at him. "Oh, I really think I do." He turned back to slit Will's throat. Ginny watched with bated breath.

"Your funeral." Jack said, shrugging.

Barbossa sighed. "Why don't I want to be doing this?"

"Because," Jack paused to slap away someone's hand as he tried to get closer to Barbossa. "Because the _HMS_ _Dauntless_, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore, waiting for you."

Ginny felt her jaw drop. Why was Jack telling Barbossa this?

…

Jack had mere seconds to win Barbossa over. If he didn't, Will would die a most unpleasant death. Jack didn't care if the Navy or Barbossa won the battle. He just wanted his ship back. He didn't want Will to die, and he wanted Ginny to be safe. So, if he put off Barbossa lifting the curse, he could save Will and get the _Pearl_. Simple enough. "Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row out to the _Dauntless_. They do what they do best. Robert's your uncle, Fannie's your aunt, and there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. 'Course you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the _Pearl_? Name me Captain, I'll sail under your colors, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder and you get to introduce yourself as Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?" Jack said.

"I s'pose in exchange, you want me to no kill the whelp." said Barbossa, sneering at Will.

"No, no not at all. By all means, kill the whelp. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment," Jack glanced at Will with a smirk. Will's eyes widened slightly. Good, he was catching on. Jack reached down to pick up some medallions. "For instance, after you've killed Norrington's men" –Jack dropped a medallion into the chest with each word –"every, last one." Jack's fingers caught the last medallion before it dropped. He slipped it up his sleeve, hiding it from sight.

"You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name!" Will shouted, catching on.

"Yeah." Jack said shamelessly.

"I want fifty percent of yer plunder." declared Barbossa. _Ha! In your dreams, twit! _

"Fifteen!" Jack replied.

"Forty!" argued Barbossa.

"Twenty-five!" Jack retorted. Barbossa stared at Jack like he was going to argue. "And I'll buy you a hat. A really big one, Commodore."

Barbossa leered at Jack. He held out his gnarled hand. "We have an accord." Barbossa announced.

Jack shook Barbossa's cold and bony hand. "All hands to the boats!" Jack announced to Barbossa's crew. Jack looked at Barbossa, who was staring at him dubiously. "Apologies. You give the orders." Jack said. It took a load of willpower not to cringe at those words.

"Gents," drawled Barbossa. "Take a walk."

The crew turned away. Jack looked at Barbossa in confusion. "Not to the boats?"

Barbossa merely smirked at Jack. "Cap'n! We found 'er hiding in the tunnel. What do you want to do with her?" called a voice. Jack looked. One of Barbossa's crewmen was dragging someone Jack had not expected to see.

"Ah, Miss Stormmare. So lovely to have ye here." said Barbossa.

Jack stared, trying to regain his composure and hide his shock. Ginny was dripping wet. The crewman confiscated Ginny's sword and threw her onto the ground. "The feeling isn't mutual." Ginny muttered, getting to her feet.

Barbossa tilted his head. "Then why are ye here?"

Ginny stared at him. Her eyes were like blue fire, flickering and burning with indigo rage. "I came to make sure this dumbass didn't get killed, but I can see that I was the fool, here," Ginny snapped. Jack looked at her, meeting her furious glare with a mixture of curiosity and calmness. "He's a traitor!" Ginny spat at Jack.

Jack resisted the urge to flinch. _I swear, love. It's not what you think. I'm trying to save you and the whelp… Please understand… _"Aye, well, yer a fool for trustin' Sparrow." replied Barbossa.

Ginny's incensed stare turned to Barbossa. "How do you know I'm not a Swann?" she demanded.

Barbossa peered at Ginny curiously. "I knew the necklace was the mark of a Stormmare. Yer family has quite the history."

"With you, you mean?" asked Ginny, her voice still seething with rage.

"Perhaps," Barbossa allowed. "Not that you will ever know."

Ginny's eyes flashed with savagery. She leapt at Barbossa. "You bastard!" she shrieked. Jack jumped in, alarmed. He grabbed Ginny and held her back from Barbossa. Ginny struggled viciously. Jack flinched away from Ginny's fingers, which threatened to claw his eyes out. He grabbed her by the wrists.

"Ginny, calm down!" he barked.

Ginny glared at him. "And you! You were in this all along! You were just using us!" she hissed.

Jack smirked. "You made it very easy, love." He shoved her away, letting go of her wrists. Barbossa approached Ginny.

He smacked Ginny across the face. Jack forced himself to remain completely still as he watched Ginny crumple to the ground. "Ye need to learn to control yer anger, Miss Stormmare," Barbossa said calmly. Jack looked at her, wanting to help Ginny to her feet. But he couldn't. He had to keep up the façade. Ginny was hauled to her feet and her hands were bound behind her back. She was also gagged. Jack began sifting through the mounds of treasure. "I must admit, Jack. I thought I had you figured. But it turns out, you're a hard man to predict." said Barbossa as Jack tossed away an idol.

"Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly! It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incredibly… Stupid." Jack took the sword from the nearest pirate and kicked him. He tossed the sword to Will and unsheathed his own. He didn't have time to give Ginny a sword. Jack jumped into battle with Barbossa. Jack cleaved and Barbossa parried. Barbossa slashed horizontally and Jack blocked. Their swords clanged in a dance of blades. Jack caught Barbossa's cleave. Jack twisted his blade over Barbossa's, bringing it down. Jack seized the opportunity and slashed at the ridiculous feather on Barbossa's hat. "Ha!" Jack declared.

"Argh!" growled Barbossa. He began attacking more viciously. Jack ducked to avoid a particularly rancorous slash from Barbossa. Jack and Barbossa continued to battle. Barbossa grabbed Jack as their blades twisted together, forming an X. "You be off the edges of the map, mate. Here there be monsters!" Barbossa growled. He flung Jack away with a cackle.

…

Ginny managed to get free of her bonds. She looked around for her sword. There it was, right where Barbossa's crewman had tossed it. She grabbed it and ran toward Will, who was battling three different pirates. Ginny charged toward the nearest one, sword raised. She brought it crashing down. The pirate blocked. Ginny twisted her blade around the pirate's and shoved. He stumbled back, his eyes wide with stupefaction. "Ye can fight?" he said.

Ginny smirked and held her blade horizontally as the pirate smacked her blade with his. "Better than that," Ginny said. She shoved the pirate back. He tripped over some gold but didn't fall. Ginny seized the opportunity to stab the man in the chest. He fell back. "I can kill, if you were human."

Ginny joined Will, swinging her sword around to meet other blades. It was difficult since the pirates didn't die. "I'm gonna teach you the meanin' of pain!" yelled one of them.

"You like pain?" questioned a new voice. Ginny and Will looked. Elizabeth swung a golden rod and whacked the pirate in the face. "Try wearing a corset," Elizabeth finished. She smiled and stood by Will. She frowned at Ginny. "Thanks for bringing me along." Elizabeth snapped.

"Can we argue about this later?" Ginny replied exasperatedly. Ginny, Will and Elizabeth leapt into battle. They grabbed the rod and plunged it through three skeletons. Will lit a grenade and shoved it into the belly of one of the skeletons. Ginny and Elizabeth shoved the threesome out of the moonlight.

The middle pirate felt himself frantically. He looked at Ginny, Will and Elizabeth. "No fair." he whimpered, smoke billowing from his mouth. Ginny turned away and ran, the explosion sounding behind her. Ginny looked around for Jack. She saw him battling Barbossa by himself, and it didn't look like it was going well. Jack had fallen and was fighting from the floor, struggling to get to his feet. Barbossa kicked Jack in the face. Ginny gasped and hurried toward them. Jack managed to block a vicious blow from Barbossa.

Barbossa dropped his sword, panting. "Ye can't beat me, Jack." he said, outstretching his arms.

Jack got up and plunged his sword into Barbossa's abdomen. Barbossa sighed in annoyance. Ginny was hurrying toward them. Barbossa removed Jack's sword from his own stomach. And then he stabbed Jack in the abdomen. Ginny stopped in her tracks, petrified as Jack stumbled back, choking on presumably his own blood. He staggered back into a patch of moonlight, and he changed. He wasn't the living Jack Sparrow. He was dead. A skeleton. He was the undead Jack Sparrow. Jack examined himself, looking extremely interested. Something clicked and clattered between his bony fingers. "Couldn't resist, mate." he said.

Barbossa snorted, and the two jumped into battle again. Will and Elizabeth stood by Ginny. "Whose side is Jack on?" demanded Elizabeth.

"At the moment," replied Will with a shrug.

_Ours. He's always been on our side, _Ginny thought with a smile.

**...**

**Thanks everyone for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! We're nearing the end... Let me know if you guys want me to do the Dead Man's Chest and At World's End! I love writing this story, so I will be happy to do it.**

**kjspirit23: I'm glad you love it! That means a lot to me. That's a mistake, I'm going to fix it as soon as possible. **

**DeLacus: Thank you! Ginny and Elizabeth are kind of like Anna and Elsa, in a way. Ginny can be very cold and closed-off, but she does it to protect the ones she loves. Elizabeth can sometimes be the one to irritate the fire out of Ginny, but Elizabeth is also the only one Ginny truly trusts. **


	13. Chapter 13

**_Wasted Shot _**

Jack and Barbossa were growing tired. Barbossa backed away and lowered his sword, leaning against a mound of gold. "So what now, Jack Sparrow? Will it be two immortals locked in an epic battle till Judgment Day and trumpets sound? Hmm?" Barbossa demanded.

"Or you could surrender," Jack suggested. Barbossa rolled his eyes and hacked vertically. Jack swung his arm around to catch Barbossa's blade. He kicked Barbossa in the stomach. While Barbossa was distracted, Jack sliced his palm open. He bathed the medallion he'd stolen in his blood and tossed it to Will, who caught it. Jack turned, drawing his pistol. Barbossa had his pistol ready, aiming for Ginny. Jack pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot." said Barbossa with a maniacal grin.

"He didn't waste it." replied Will. Barbossa looked around in bewilderment. Will dropped the two medallions into the chest. Barbossa turned back to Jack, eyes wide. Jack slowly lowered his pistol. Barbossa ripped open his clothes as his shirt seeped with crimson blood.

"I feel… Cold." whispered Barbossa. He fell backward, his eyes rolling up to stare at nothing. Jack looked at him without a hint of regret. He turned away to shuffle through the mounds of treasure. He glanced up when he noticed Ginny was standing beside him. He offered her a half smile.

"Sorry about tricking you, love. I had to make sure I appeared authentic." he said.

Ginny's eyes were soft. "I knew what you were doing," she said.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "Did you, now?"

"I was trying to appear authentic, too." Ginny answered, her lips twitching with a smirk.

"Well, I must say, your acting was superb." Jack replied, grinning.

Ginny laughed. It was a beautiful sound. It wasn't like music, but it was calming, in a way. Contagious, even. Jack couldn't help but grin. "I've had some practice." Ginny said.

"Well, it's paid off," Jack said. His grin faded. He grew more serious as he gazed into Ginny's eyes. There was a mist of melancholy settling upon them, and Jack didn't know why. Was it the prospect of saying goodbye? "Why did you come back?" he asked.

The corner of Ginny's mouth turned upward. "I was honest," she said. "I came to make sure you didn't get your dumb ass killed."

Jack chuckled. Ginny laughed with him, her cheeks growing rosy. Jack stared at her, still grinning. It faded again. "Thank you, love."

Ginny tilted her head. "For what?"

"For caring about what happened to me." he said, suddenly struck with the realization that Ginny was, quite possibly, the only person who had cared.

"Well, I figured I owed you for saving my life several times." Ginny said cheekily.

Jack smirked. "We're square, love."

Ginny smiled, but there was a tinge of sadness to her expression. "We should return to the _Dauntless_." said Elizabeth, joining them.

"Your fiancée will be wanting to know you are safe." said Will, looking at Ginny.

Ginny glanced at Jack, who had put a crown on his head. Jack met her gaze. There was a forlorn shadow in Ginny's eyes, darkening them until they were a deep navy. Ginny walked away, her golden waves bouncing with every step she took. Jack watched her go morosely. Elizabeth and Will were staring at each other. Elizabeth finally turned away from Will and followed Ginny. Jack looked at Will, who was gazing after Elizabeth longingly. Jack glanced from Will to Elizabeth and Ginny's retreating backs. "If you were waiting for the opportune moment, mate… That was it." Jack said. He wasn't sure if he was talking to Will or himself.

…

"The _Pearl's_ gone, Jack. They took it," said Elizabeth, her voice soft. There was a long moment of silence. "I'm sorry, Jack."

Jack frowned. Disappointment trickled into the pit of his stomach. His ship was gone again. "They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that." Jack muttered, silently accepting his fate.

Ginny glanced at Jack. _He can't face the gallows. It's not fair. It's not fair. He's… He's a hero. He doesn't deserve this. _

**...**

**DeLacus: Lol, glad you enjoyed that! And I have a month off of a school, so I have lots of time to update my stories. I'll do Dead Man's Chest for the loyal readers of this story. If I get some for DMC, I will do AWE. Thank you for your support and faithful reviews! If I could give you a gift or something, I would, lol. **


	14. Chapter 14

**_This Is Wrong _**

Ginny crept along the shadows, her breath pushing steam through the air. She wrapped her robe tightly around herself. She scowled at the guard, fast asleep in his chair. "Idiot," she muttered. She creaked open the prison door and crept down the stairs. She looked around, but there weren't any cells that were heavily occupied. Just the one, with the sole pirate, sitting in the middle of the cell, staring out the window at the moon.

"If ye've come to gloat, mate, I'm really not in the mood." said Jack without looking at Ginny.

"Why would I come here to gloat?" Ginny asked quietly.

Jack wheeled around. "Ginny?" he exclaimed. His shock and –dare she say it? –happiness disappeared as he regained his composure. "Took ye long enough to get here, love." Jack stood up, looking casual. Ginny inched toward the bars.

"I'm sorry, James didn't want me to come." she said.

Jack's lips twitched. "I'm not surprised, love. Norrington doesn't seem to like me much."

"He should. You're a good man, Jack." Ginny said.

Jack sucked in a breath. Ginny didn't avert her eyes from his intense gaze. "You know, I keep hearing that, and yet, here I am. In a cell. Due to be hanged by morning's light."

Ginny bit her lip. "If I could stop this, I would. I tried. I begged James and my father, but they both said they were bound by the law, and I should remember my place."

Jack's eyes softened. "I wasn't meaning to direct that insult at you, love."

Ginny nodded. She understood. "Jack, if you could remember your past, would you want to?"

Jack looked thoughtful. "Now?" he questioned. Ginny nodded, her stomach twisting with knots._ Here it goes… I'm about to confess everything… _"No."

Ginny blinked spastically in surprise. "Why not?"

"Because it'll only lead to more questions and uncertainty. I don't want that now… Not now that I'm about to die." Jack said glumly.

Ginny's heart clenched. "Oh. That makes sense, I suppose."

Jack tilted his head. Ginny stared at him, wondering what he was thinking. "How so?"

"What do you mean?" Ginny asked.

"How does that make sense? I feel like, if I had the opportunity, I should take it. So why does it make sense that I shouldn't?" Jack replied, his eyes sparkling with frustration.

Ginny pondered Jack's dilemma for a few moments. "You don't want to encounter that pain. It's not… It's not necessary."

Jack nodded. "I s'pose," he muttered. He lowered his gaze. He lifted it again to meet Ginny's. Ginny simply watched him. "Sorry I'm being so…" Jack trailed off.

"Depressing?" Ginny suggested with a grin.

Jack's laugh was breathy and heavy. "I promise, I'm normally better company," he said.

"I think you deserve to be depressing, Jack." Ginny replied quietly. She averted his gaze.

"We are alike, love," Jack said, his voice soft and husky. Ginny looked up. She reached through the bars to caress Jack's face. It was not a gesture Ginny would normally do, but considering the circumstances, she made an exception. "You're so easy to talk to." Jack sighed, leaning into Ginny's palm.

Ginny smiled sadly. "Perhaps, if things had turned out differently, we could have been friends."

Jack made a face. "I thought we were already?"

Ginny's smile grew wider. "Well, we could have been better friends, perhaps." she corrected herself.

Jack leaned in. "I'm sorry Barbossa kissed you, just to get back at me."

Ginny was suddenly aware of how close Jack was to her face. "It's all right," she breathed. "Although I am curious: why did Barbossa think it would get a rise out of you?"

Jack shifted uncomfortably. "For some reason, he thought… He figured I loved you. I didn't, of course. But he suspected that I cared for you. And I suppose, I was growing to."

Ginny smirked. "You are not good at compliments, Jack."

Jack grimaced. "And I never want to be."

Ginny sighed. "Jack, why do you hide behind your façade of bravado? Why do you act like you don't care?"

Jack shrugged. "Easier that way. That way, no one can take advantage of people close to me in order to get to me."

"Ah, you're protecting yourself," Ginny realized. She averted Jack's curious gaze. "Another thing we have in common," she said. She looked up to see Jack staring at her intently. She backtracked in surprise. She looked at the sky through the window. Dawn was arriving. Ginny paled. "Jack, I must go, before I am caught here."

Jack sighed and nodded. "Go," he said. Ginny offered Jack a sad smile. She turned away. Jack grabbed her by the wrist. "Thank you for staying here with me, love."

Ginny smiled. "I'm sorry that I wasn't able to stop this, Jack."

Jack's face was drawn with grim acceptance. "Me too, love."

…

Ginny stared at the gallows, the slow drumroll counting down the mere minutes left of Captain Jack's Sparrow. Said captain was standing with his hands bound in front of him, his face drawn into a somber expression. Ginny stared at him intently, begging God silently for this to somehow end with Jack's life intact. But she knew it was hopeless. Jack was a pirate. There was no hope. "This is wrong." she whispered, hoping James and her father heard her.

"Commodore Norrington is bound by the law. As are we all." said Governor Swann firmly.

Ginny stared ahead. Jack's eyes lifted to meet hers. Ginny could see his underlying panic, his fear. It was obscured by a thin veil of grim indifference. But Ginny could see it. She stared at Jack, her gaze never wavering from his. She needed to give him strength and support. She and Elizabeth were the only people in this crowd who cared. Ginny's lips twitched at some movement out of the corner of her eye. She broke her gaze with Jack to look at Will, who was greeting Commodore Norrington and Governor Swann. "Elizabeth, I should've told you every day from the moment I met you… I love you." said Will. Elizabeth looked shocked. Ginny smirked. She met Will's gaze. He dipped his head to her, the slightest bit of a nod.

Ginny returned the gesture. It was time.

…

Jack felt the floor gape open from beneath his feet and he fell. He waited for the jerk of the rope on his neck. He waited for his neck to snap, for death to come. Instead, his feet hit something somewhat solid. It was slippery and thin, but it was holding him up. He balanced himself on it. Jack choked as the rope tugged unpleasantly around his neck. Out of the corner of his eye, the executioner was dueling somebody in a cape and hat. Suddenly, the rope around Jack's neck was sliced and he tumbled to the ground. He sat up to see Ginny, holding a knife.

She was dressed from head to toe as if she were in mourning. Jack guessed that she had done so to deliberately oppose Norrington and Governor Swann. Jack appreciated her for that. "Ginny? What's going on?" he demanded.

"Saving your ass, you twit. Now go!" Ginny said, freeing Jack's wrists and helping him to his feet. Jack wanted to kiss Ginny. Instead, he took off.

…..

Ginny pushed through the riotous crowd, making her way over to Elizabeth. She reached Elizabeth in a few minutes. "Ginny! What's going on?" Elizabeth cried, watching as the panicked crowd dispersed.

"No time to explain. Let's go!" Ginny replied. She grabbed Elizabeth's hand and pulled her through the frantic mob. They reached the edge of the fort to find Jack and Will surrounded by Norrington's men.

"On our return to Port Royal, I granted you clemency. And this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with him? He's a pirate!" Governor Swann was saying.

"And a good man!" retorted Will. Jack was smirking, pointing to himself and making faces at the other guards. "If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn two pairs of boots instead of one, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."

"You forget your place, Turner." growled Norrington. Ginny and Elizabeth glanced at each other.

"My place is here, between you and Jack." said Will softly.

"As is mine." said Ginny, stepping into the circle.

"And mine." added Elizabeth. She stood on one side of Will while Ginny stood on the other. Ginny took Will's hand. Ginny's other hand was gripped tightly by Jack. Together, the four of them stared at Norrington and Governor Swann defiantly.

"Girls! Lower your weapons," said Governor Swann. Nothing happened. "For goodness sake, put them down!" The guards lowered their weapons. James was staring at Ginny.

"So, this is where your heart truly lies?" he said, looking shocked.

Ginny stared at James, a twinge of pity knotting her stomach. "It is."

Movement overhead caught Ginny's eye. She watched a vibrantly colored parrot fly away, toward the harbor. Jack gave Ginny's hand a squeeze. "Well! I'm actually feeling rather good about all this," Jack let go of Ginny and moved to Governor Swann. "I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually? Ecumenically? Grammatically?" Jack was right in Governor Swann's face. Ginny smirked and rolled her eyes at him. Jack moved away, an undeniable skip in his step. He turned to Norrington. "I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that," Jack said. There was an undertone of menace in Jack's voice. Jack turned to Ginny. He leaned in. Ginny stared at him uncertainly. "Come with me, love," he whispered. Ginny stared at him, flabbergasted. She wanted to. She needed to. A life sailing on the seas, full of freedom and no worries at all, alongside with Jack… It was better than she could've ever imagined.

"I can't," she said. _It's not safe. If anyone ever learns my name as a notorious pirate… Everyone I love will die. Including Jack. I mustn't go. _

An array of emotions contorted Jack's face. Disappointment, frustration, curiosity and finally, understanding. "Keep a weather eye on that horizon, love," he said. He walked away. "Elizabeth," he called. Elizabeth turned. "It would've never worked between us, darling. I'm sorry," Jack turned away again. He stopped and looked at Will. "Will… Nice hat," Ginny and Will grinned at each other as Jack backed away toward the fort's edge. "Friends! This is the day you will remember as the day that- Whoa!" With that, Jack fell backwards over the battlement. Will, Elizabeth and Ginny scurried to watch Jack fall into the sea below.

"Idiot. He has nowhere to go but back to the noose," said Gillette.

"Sail ho!" shouted a voice in the distance. Ginny looked up to the _Black_ _Pearl_ rounding the corner. The ship was heading to pick up her captain, her rightful captain. Ginny couldn't stop the grin fanning across her face.

"What's your plan of action? Sir?" said Gillette frantically. Ginny looked at James. He had an expression of pure shock.

"Perhaps," said Governor Swann slowly. Ginny looked at him. "On the rare occasion pursuing the right course demands an act of piracy, piracy itself can be the right course?"

Ginny beamed at her father. James turned away with the rest of his men. "Mr. Turner," Will approached James steadily. "This is a beautiful sword. I would expect the man who made it to show the same care and devotion in every aspect of his life." said James.

"Thank you, sir." said Will. He turned to be with Elizabeth. James looked at Ginny.

"Commodore!" cried Gillette. James rolled his eyes and turned to Gillette. "What about Sparrow?"

"Oh, I think we can afford to give him one day's head start. You are dismissed." said James. Ginny stood under the archway, beneath the old dusty bell. She watched the _Pearl_ lower its sails, heading for the horizon. Governor Swann was eyeing Will and Elizabeth knowingly.

"So, this is the path you've chosen, is it? After all, he is a blacksmith." said Governor Swann.

"No," said Elizabeth dreamily. "He's a pirate." Ginny smirked at Will and Elizabeth as they kissed. She turned away to lean against the tower once more. Governor Swann turned away.

James joined Ginny, leaning against the other side of the archway, watching Jack sail away. "That was rebellious of you, Miss Swann," said James. Ginny looked away. She crossed her arms. "Brave, but rebellious." James added.

Ginny glanced at James out of the corner of her eye. "Brave?" she questioned.

"It takes a strong person to stand up for what's right, even in the face of death." said James. Ginny looked at him, her eyes wide.

"What's right?" she repeated.

"Sparrow has a long and complicated history, Ginny. And he hasn't been all bad. He has proved that much through these past several days." said James.

"He didn't deserve to die." muttered Ginny.

"So defiant," said James, sighing.

Ginny looked at him. "Before we get into this, James, you must know that my defiance is for a reason. And my defiance will never fade."

James stared at Ginny thoughtfully. "That is what I admire about you most. Your headstrong nature is enchanting, more so than any other woman on this island. And that is exactly why I withdraw my proposal."

Ginny opened her mouth to argue. "James, no…"

James smiled, cutting her off. "Your heart belongs to another, I understand. I will not hold you to me for selfish reasons, as long as you promise not to pity me."

Ginny opened her mouth to retort again. She closed it, swallowed and opened it again. "I promise." she whispered.

James smiled and turned away. Ginny looked back at the horizon, watching the blood orange sun sink into the sea. "Oh, and Ginny?" said James. Ginny turned back to look at him curiously. "He doesn't deserve you." With that, James turned and walked away.

Ginny looked down at her pendant, and then back at the sea. _I should've gone with him._

…

Jack watched the needle spin until it settled on something to his right. He looked to see Fort Charles, growing ever smaller in the distance. Ginny.

He shook his head. _No. I don't want her. I can't. I do not want Ginny Swann… Stormmare. _The needle changed direction to straight ahead. He grinned, singing to himself. "Drink up, me hearties, yo ho!" He slammed the compass shut, steering his ship into the twilight, headed for Tortuga.

…

**This is the end! Thank you to all who have read, added this story to their favorites/following list, and especially to those who have reviewed. Reviews (and any kind of support) keep me going when I get writer's block. I hope you guys enjoyed it. I certainly enjoyed writing it. I will post DMC as soon as possible! **

**las131984: Thank you, glad you liked it!**

**hail hydra: I have a month off because it's Christmas break for my college. And obviously something defiant, haha. **

**DeLacus: Well, now you know. I had thought about sending her with Jack, but… Ginny has her reasons. **


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